At All Costs
by reginamlls
Summary: Regina Mills is Storybrooke's brand new Mayor. Emma Swan has just returned from studying overseas. The two meet and instantly connect but nothing is ever as it seems. Emma is dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event and Regina must ensure that Emma never learns the truth behind the incident. (SwanQueen AU)
1. Home, Sweet Home

Chapter 1 "Mission, begun"

* * *

"This is your Captain speaking. United Flight 5463 will shortly be descending into Portland, Maine. On behalf of United, we hope you enjoyed your time with us and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas."

* * *

Emma peered out of the small airplane window. It was around 10pm when they began to descend. The sky was pitch black but the ground lit up. She could see the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. Snow, she liked. Christmas, not so much.

The plane hit the ground a mere ten minutes later and the passengers began to applaud. Soon after, the families began to pour out of the plane, children running into the snow with sheer excitement lighting up their faces. Emma admired how playful they were, skipping and rolling around on the ground while their parents shooed them, rushing them towards the airport. "Tim, get over here! Santa is watching you!" She heard one irritated mother call out to a small boy, now known as Tim who was throwing snowballs at the other passengers. Emma decided she liked Tim.

The airport was surprisingly quiet, the blonde dragged her bags behind her all the while, searching for any familiar faces.

"Emma!" a voice called out, behind her.

The blonde spun around, just in time to catch the older woman who was now practically clinging to her, arms wrapped around her neck and her head settled on the blonde's shoulder.

"Mom, come on." She huffed, her mother not budging in the slightest. A male figured appeared, learning against the doors to the exit. "Mom, I missed you but you're crushing every bone in my body right now."

"She won't budge you know." Emma's head snapped up and a smile etching across her face. She slipped from her mother's grip and ran towards the exit, throwing her arms around her father's neck. "How was university? In fact, don't tell me." He leaned back, taking in the sight of his daughter's face, "I don't wanna hear about you getting drunk and getting into all sorts of trouble. Your mom will deal with that."

Emma shook her head, laughing "Oh, come on! It's university, it's like a tradition or something over there!" She argued just as Mary Margaret stepped up behind her, grabbing her shoulders.

"I'd yell at you for being so irresponsible but I missed you too much." The brunette hugged her daughter tight from behind, "Come on, I suppose we have to go home at some point."

She clung to her daughter's hand as the three made their way out and into the truck. As soon as they settled, David looked over his shoulder at Emma and they shared a knowing smile, "We're just so happy that you're finally home. Even if it's just for three months."

Emma smile half-heartedly and nodded, agreeing that she too was glad she would soon be back in Storybrooke and ultimately, she would be home.

"I have the perfect song for our trip home." Mary Margaret snickered, taking a CD from the glove compartment and sliding it into the disk player. As soon as the song began, both Emma and David burst into fits of laughter, remembering each memory the song brought back.

"Mom, you actually went out and bought a Robert Palmer CD?" she chuckled, patting her mother's shoulder. "Addicted to Love?! Dad and I are so proud." David nodded in agreement and soon the three were belting out their best palmer impressions.

* * *

Storybrooke hadn't changed in the slightest. There was a layer of snow on the ground and Christmas decorations filled the shop windows but really, it was all the same. Emma reminded herself that it had only been six months and that she shouldn't have expected anything different. She felt at ease as the sight of her childhood home came into view. Well, childhood apartment. She scanned the streets surrounding it.

Archie came into view, pongo walking aside him. Emma perked up, waving her hand frantically, he nodded in acknowledgement and walked on. Sometimes she forgot she was twenty-two years old and not six years old.

They parked up outside the apartment building, Mary Margaret and David were talking amongst themselves as they loaded Emma's bags out of the truck. The blonde leaned against the truck and took in the cold, icy air. She was staring towards Granny's diner when something caught her eye. Toward her right, she could see Mifflin Street. It was known as the "Rich Bitches" street because almost everyone who lived there, was loaded. Of course the residents of Storybrooke hadn't given the street that name. Emma did.

Her eyes narrowed, staring at the largest house on the street. 108 Mifflin Street.

"Hey, Mom?" Emma started, shifting to have a better look at the mansion, "Is someone living in the Mayor's house?"

Mary Margaret stopped in her tracks, passing a bag off toward David. She turned towards her daughter.

"Yeah, Regina lives there." She stood beside the blonde, her eyes set upon the Mayor's house. "She's our new Mayor. Has been for two months now." Mary Margaret tilted her head towards Emma. "You'd know that if you actually read my letters!" She nudged Emma's shoulder, causing the blonde to snap out of her little trance.

"Yeah," She stuffed her hands into her pocket.

"You'll like her," Mary Margaret grabbed Emma's last bag, "She seems closed-off and snobby at first but," A smile tugged at her lips, "You know, I think she just reminds me of you."

Emma's brows furrowed as she pretended to be offended. "You know if you're gonna call me a snob," she picked up her handbag and walked towards the entrance to the apartment building, "That also makes you a snob."

Morning came around faster than Emma had hoped. She had promised that she'd help her Mother deliver this year's Christmas cards from the Charmings. Each year, Mary Margaret had her daughter and her husband sit by their fire while some measly photographer took their photograph for the Christmas card. This year however, due to the school term, Emma couldn't make it in time for the photographs to be taken. "How unfortunate" She thought, smirking to herself while she stared down at the photo of her very grumpy-looking father and all-too-eager looking mother. Cringe.

Once dressed, she made her way downstairs. The smell of waffles and syrup had made getting up at 8am, a lot easier.

"Morning." Emma yelled, starling David and Mary Margaret who were setting the tabled. "I thought that would wake you guys up, anyway," She jumped onto the sofa, "When are we gonna get started? If I remember correctly, there are at least 86 cards to be delivered on foot and It's gonna take like, I don't know, ten hours?" Mary Margaret rolled her eyes at Emma's slight exaggeration.

"It'll take two hours at least and we are not leaving until we've had breakfast." Emma sat down at the table and pouted. "Don't pout, you'll look like a trout. And we still haven't heard anything about school?" Mary Margaret pried the plate of waffles from Emma's hands and shimmied into the chair beside David.

"Yeah, Em." David looked up at his daughter, a slight look of concern etched on his face, "We've been waiting months to hear about school and you haven't mentioned it once."

Emma licked her lips because she had a serious case of dry mouth and anxiety to top it off. "I just—I don't wanna talk about school." She became very tense and both David and Mary Margaret could feel the atmosphere change in the room. They both shared a look and decided not to pry any further.

The family ate in silence, David occasionally asking Emma about London.

Emma had been studying in London for two years now. She had been ecstatic when she had finally received a letter of acceptance way back in 2013. For over a year she had applied to ever art school in Europe, deciding that she'd prefer to go overseas to study.

Once accepted, she had over two months to prepare herself for her big move. She had been ready, more than ready.

London was spectacular in every sense. Emma fell in love with the city the same way she had fallen in love with her hometown. It became her second home which made it harder for her to want to go back to her first home.

Four months into her stay and her schooling, things began to change. University had been fun at first. She spent most nights with friends, getting drunk and staying up to watch the sunrise. There had been parties, upon parties, upon parties but it all came to a grinding halt.

* * *

Christmas, 2013

It was like any other night for her. Her group of friends, which included; Herself, Ruby, Belle and Elsa. They had gone out to a local bar and decided that they'd only spend a couple of hours there before returning to their flat to spend the night watching Christmas movies together.

Emma remembered each movie they had discussed and decided they would watch. She remembered what each of her friends were wearing that night and how happy they had been. Until they left the bar.

"Em, get a picture of me with the Tardis!" A thick Australian accent, is what Belle was known for. That and how caring and wonderful she was. The other three girls stood opposite Belle and the Tardis, laughing as the red-headed beauty started kissing the blue walls that made it up. "Em, come get in this with me!" Emma smirked, making her way over to the Australian beauty and the Tardis, of course.

"You know; my dad is super obsessed with Doctor Who. I wish I could take this home to him." Emma, drunk, pondered the idea and decided that she just couldn't carry it home to Maine.

"If this were real and you could go anywhere in the world," Belle started, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear, "Where would you go?"

Emma took a moment to think before she looked down at the ground. "Nowhere. I wanna be here. I'm happy here." She looked back up at Belle, who was beaming.

"Me too."

The two girls headed back towards the Ruby and Elsa who were comparing selfies, taken earlier. Music played throughout the streets. "O Holy Night" was being sung by a busker a block away but loud enough for them to hear each word being sung, beautifully.

Belle lagged behind, searching through her bag for the keys to the flat which they were approaching quickly. "Hey, guys" She started, looking up as all three of her friends turned to face her. "I think I've lost the keys."

The three friends rolled their eyes simultaneously and continued walking.

"No, seriously guys, I think I left them at the Tardis."

Emma burst out laughing and spun around to face her friend. "Only you, would do something as dumb as that. Go get them!"

Ruby and Elsa shook their heads and began talking between themselves while Emma checked her phone. Ruby had crossed the road and made it back to the Tardis, where she saw her keys lying on the ground next to the steps. "Found them!" She laughed and snatched them up before running back towards her friends.

The three girls were discussing art techniques and infrastructure. Emma burst into fits of laughter when Elsa pointed out that one of the buildings beside them looked like a huge boob and soon the other two joined in, filling the street with their laughter.

Until the screeching of tyres came from behind them, followed by a loud thud.

All three girls froze. Ruby was the first to turn around. There was a scream, followed by hysterical crying. Emma could see it in Elsa's face as the other blonde caught sight of her friend on the road, lifeless and bloodied.

Emma couldn't turn around.

She was frozen.

* * *

"Emma!" Mary Margaret barked as Emma continued to stare off into space. "EMMA!"

The blonde jumped slightly, shaken from her flashback. She looked up to find both her mother and father staring at her, looks of concern and worry strewn across their faces. Emma shook herself from her little trance and stood. "Let's go." She took a deep breath and grabbed her coat.

David turned to Mary Margaret. "What was that all about? Was she just day-dreaming?"

"I have no idea." Mary Margaret followed her daughter out of the door, "But it wasn't a good kind of day-dreaming."

* * *

Emma had decided to split up from her parents. She needed some alone time, especially now that the incident had decided to come back and haunt her. She had never really spoken to her parents about the accident. There was some talk but they had allowed her to share whenever she felt comfortable so as not to traumatize her.

She had chosen to come home for a month after the accident. Ruby had left the University while Elsa had taken a long, long vacation, prescribed by her parents. Emma just wanted to get on with things and try to put it behind her. She had gone back to University after the month was up and moved out of her old apartment.

That was when everything became so dark. The streets were never the same, the lights never shone as brightly and Christmas didn't appeal to her anymore. She didn't make any new friends. Art had become her only source of happiness and even then, she noticed most of her art had a recurring theme.

Sadness.

As she made her way up Mifflin Street, Emma decided that she should talk to her parents about the incident. Sooner or later, they'd wanna know.

She was stood outside 108, shuffling Christmas cards. She held a card for Mayor Mills in her hand while she made her way up the path, toward the Mayor's door. Emma peered in through the small glass windows to her left, before she slid the card under the Mayor's front door.

The blonde took a deep breath and spun, grabbing her phone from her pocket as she left the Mayor's home.

"Excuse me!"

Emma stopped in her tracks and then turned over her shoulder, searching for the person that the voice belonged to.

"Hello?" The brunette waved at the blonde, trying to get her attention. She was standing by the Mayor's front door, wearing a long dark coat and what Emma could only describe as "Fuck-me-heels" Which she knew was vulgar but, also true. "Don't you talk, dear?"

"I do." Emma spoke up, turning fully to face the stunning brunette before her. She allowed herself to breathe because it felt like the air had escaped her lungs the moment she set eyes on the gorgeous brunette, she composed herself "sorry, I didn't see you or I would have just given the card to you."

"I just got out of my car." The brunette replied, pointing in the direction of her driveway, "That's why you wouldn't have seen me."

Emma nodded and acknowledged the car. "Anyway," She thought of something to add to the awkward encounter. "Merry Christmas! I'll see you around!" The blonde turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Emma stopped, again. "You're Mrs. Charming's daughter, aren't you?" The brunette moved closer, her heels chipping the stone below her. "Your mother told me you'd be coming home soon and that I'd finally get to meet you." She stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, "She's spoken so highly of you"

The blonde perked up. Had her mother been talking her up to the Mayor? Emma made a mental note to thank her mother, "Yeah, that's me." Who needs a wing-man when you have a wing-mother? She thought. "I'm Emma, by the way."

The brunette extended her arm, "I know. I'm Regina Mills."

They shook hands and almost instantly, Emma felt a warmth from the woman. A feeling that she hadn't really felt from anyone for a very long time. She didn't want to let go of her hand and for some strange reason, Regina wasn't letting go of hers either.

The pair stood for a moment, taking each other in.

"Would you like to come over for dinner?" Regina blurted out, "Just-if you're available sometime." She finally let go of the blonde's hand, both hands returning by their owner's sides. "and maybe you could show me around town, you know, just from the perspective of someone my own age.."

"Sure." Emma replied, a little too enthusiastically, "that would be fun"

"Great. I make a wonderful lasagne by the way" The brunette flashed Emma a sweet smile which instantly melted Emma's heart.

"Anything's better than the food my Mom makes." Emma joked, except she was deadly serious.

They shared a laugh. Regina flashed Emma her wonderful smile once more and took a step back. "I should be going then," She bit her bottom lip, nervously, "I'll see you soon, hopefully."

"Yeah, I hope I do." Her eyes never left Regina's as she spoke, "Goodbye, Mayor Mills."

Regina snickered, shaking her head, "Goodbye, Emma"

The blonde watched as Regina waved and disappeared behind her front door. She made her way out of the rough iron gates and stopped just outside to get herself together. "Oh shit" she thought just as a light blush crept up on her fair skin.

Behind the huge, white oak door, Regina rested her back against it. She took a deep breath and composed herself. She made her way into her office just as the phone began to ring.

She picked it up and put it to her ear, a voice spoke "We have three months. Protect Emma Swan at all costs."

Regina put the phone down and made her way upstairs.

Mission, begun.


	2. Spooky Regina

**A/N**

Thank you for the lovely reviews, this is my first fic so I'm glad that people are liking it so far.

I'd like to apologise for my AWFUL spelling errors in the first chapter. Also, Emma's name is still Emma Swan, that will be addressed soon!

This is a shorter chapter because chapter three is long as fuck! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2 "Spooky Regina"

* * *

Storybrooke was like a whole other place at night, especially by the pier. Emma had decided that she'd rather take a walk to clear her head before she made her way back home. As she approached the pier, she noticed a dark figure sitting on the bench by the harbour.

"Hello?" Emma called out, slowly making her way towards the figure. The black silhouette stood for a moment and then proceeded to sit back down again. Emma contemplated moving on or getting closer. She shrugged off the sudden wave of nervousness and walked up to the figure. The blonde let out a sigh of relief when the figure came into view.

"God dammit, Archie." She laughed her nerves away, "I thought you were a murderer or something!"

Archie plucked his hat from his head and flashed a friendly smile at Emma. "Not in Storybrooke, Emma." She joined Archie on the bench and the two sat in silence for a moment.

"I spoke to your mother today, it's unfortunate that you weren't able to make it into the Christmas card this year" He looked over at the younger girl and offered a smile, "She told me about this morning"

Emma glanced over to Archie and then back to her lap, she fiddled with her fingers and tugged at her jeans, "They wanna know about the accident but I can't—I don't wanna talk about it yet" she could feel tears forming in her eyes and quickly wiped them away.

"They won't push you, Emma." He reassured her, "They're your parents and they just want to make sure that their daughter is happy"

She shrugged her shoulders and bounced up from the bench. "I should go"

"Aren't you gonna sit by the pier?" Archie questioned, knowing from their previous sessions that the pier meant a lot to Emma and was a source of freedom for her.

The blonde offered a shrug of her shoulders, "Maybe another night" a look of despair etched across Emma's face before disappearing as she walked off back to where she came from.

"Emma!" Archie called out, stopping the blonde in her tracks, "When you're ready to talk, I'll be here" He gestured to the bench he was sitting on. Emma nodded and thanked him before she headed off once more.

Archie's eyes never left her until she was completely out of sight. He plucked his phone from his jacket pocket. He dialled a number and put the phone to his ear.

"She's heading home." Archie paused, looking out onto the water, "When she's ready, I'll be waiting" he hung up and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. A minute passed before a beeping signalled that he had a message.

* * *

 **TEXT: Protect Emma Swan at all costs.**

Archie read the message over and then deleted it.

* * *

Emma was approaching the apartment when Granny's diner caught her eye. She really did miss her Grilled Cheese sandwiches and the bear claws. Emma beamed as she skipped up the steps and into the diner.

She looked around at the very few faces before jumping up onto a bar stool. Soft music filled the room and Emma felt her eyes close as she embraced the familiarity of it all.

"Are you having a moment, dear?"

Emma jumped, luckily the bar stool was sturdy enough to keep her upright. "Mayor Mills!" She quickly composed herself, tucking wild strands of hair behind her ear, "I was enjoying the silence before you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Regina smirked and joined Emma, "You looked like you were having a very spiritual moment" the brunette sat her coffee cup on the counter, "mind If I join you?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed before a smirk crept up on her lips, she shrugged her shoulders, "I think you were gonna join me whether I wanted you to or not"

"True" Regina replied, confidently.

Both women laughed and began to talk.

They spoke about Granny's food, the pier, the school, the old castle at the playground and all things Storybrooke. But Emma wanted to know more about the stunning brunette in front of her.

"Where did you live before you moved here? Somewhere fancy, I presume?"

Regina faked offense and leaned her head against her arm. "I grew up in Boston, actually" She took a sip of her coffee before continuing, "my sister still lives there"

"You have a sister?" Emma perked up. Being an only child, the idea of a sister or a brother always intrigued Emma.

"Yes, and trust me, you're very lucky to have been an only child"

Emma's smile faltered, she shifted from side to side, "How do you know I'm an only child?"

The brunette froze for a millisecond and quickly finished off her coffee. "Your mother told me, she told me a lot of things about you, Emma" Regina was very grateful for her forever-cool exterior.

The blonde brushed off her weariness and glanced down at her watch. It was almost 11pm. She shimmied off of the bar stool and jumped down onto the marble floor. "This was nice" Emma flashed Regina a shy smile.

"Yeah, it's so nice to finally talk to someone who isn't all sunshine and rainbows all the time"

"You're talking about my mother aren't you?"

"No" Regina replied.

"Yes" The blonde argued.

"Okay, yes." They both laughed and Regina tugged on her coat before both women headed out onto the streets of Storybrooke.

* * *

They strolled along the street, heading towards the Charmings' apartment. Along the way, Emma told Regina stories about each shop on the street. They stopped outside Mr Gold's pawn shop and Regina peered in the window.

"I've yet to hear something nice about this so-called Mr Gold"

"Haven't you met him? He's an asshole" Emma stuck her nose against the glass of the front door and looked around the shop.

"He's probably just lonely" The brunette offered, "that's probably why he stays in his shop all day long"

"Yeah, THAT'S the reason" Emma snickered, moving back from the glass.

"You have an awfully dirty mind, Emma" Regina's face scrunched up in disgust, she moved away from the window, "I was pretty sure you were twenty-two, not twelve years old" She smirked and nudged Emma's arm.

Emma was about to respond when Regina's phone lit up and began to ring. The brunette looked up at Emma, who was telling her to answer her damn phone. Regina faked a nervous laugh and stopped the call immediately.

"You should have answered it, it could be your boss" Emma's head tilted, "Do you even have a boss? Being the mayor and all?"

Regina was distracted, she glanced down at her phone. An automated message appeared on the screen.

 **MSG: EVENT 23 WILL BEGIN 23:45**

 **INSTRUCTIONS WILL FOLLOW**

The brunette peered down at the dimly lit screen and her breath hitched.

"Is everything okay?" Emma stepped closer to the brunette and Regina, just as quickly, stepped back.

"Yes, of course! It's just a Mayoral thing, nothing serious."

Emma was not convinced in the slightest but knew better than to pry. "Well, this is me" She gestured over to the apartment building entrance, "I'll see you around?"

"Or we could do dinner tomorrow?" The brunette offered, reminding the blonde of their earlier conversation.

"Yeah—Sure" Emma smiled, nodding her head as she yanked the door open to the apartments, "How about, 7.30pm?"

"Sounds perfect" The brunette beamed, "I'll see you then, Emma"

"See you then" The blonde disappeared into the apartment building.

Regina let out a deep breath that she hadn't even realised she'd been holding in. She picked up the pace, heading towards Mifflin Street. Once outside the mansion, Regina took out her phone and re-read the text. She hurried inside and into the office, not bothering to remove her shoes or coat. She stood by the fax machine, waiting for instructions.

Back at the Charmings' apartment, Emma crept inside and hung her coat on one of the hooks. The lights were out but Emma knew her parents far too well.

"Do you really have to do that creepy, sit-in-the-dark thing?" She whispered, just as a light flickered on.

"Where have you been!?" Mary Margaret shrieked.

Emma's face scrunched up, while her father winced at his wife's high pitched voice. "I was out, with Regina" She explained, slumping down onto the sofa opposite her parents, "We had coffee and then went for a walk"

Mary Margaret seemed a little more composed than she was a mere two minutes ago. David glanced over at his wife, just to make sure she was still breathing. "We called you five times, Emma"

"I sent a text" She plucked her phone from her jeans and brought up the text she had sent to her mother, "see, I text"

Her mother took a deep breath and nodded, acknowledging that her daughter was, in fact, correct. "I take it Regina walked you home?" Emma nodded, yes. "I'm glad you two are getting to know each other"

"Yeah, except she started acting super weird" David looked up at his daughter, who was trying to fix the pillow behind her head, "There was a phone call and she looked really spooked but when I asked, she said everything was fine"

Mary Margaret stood up from the other sofa and smoothed out her nightdress, "probably just a mayoral thing" David nodded in agreement. They each kissed their daughter good night and headed off to bed.

Emma shifted to lie back on the sofa, she grabbed the remote and started flicking through TV channels, searching for something interesting to watch, finally settling on Family Guy.

Back at the Mayor's house, thirty minutes had gone by before the machine began to boot up and print. She leaned against her desk and waited nervously. Regina glanced up at the clock atop her bookcase and then plucked the piece of paper from the fax. She sat it down on her desk, under the light,

 **EVENT 23 HAS BEGUN**

 **PROTECT EMMA SWAN AT ALL COSTS**

 **\- VENUSTUS**


	3. 2013

**A/N**

I wanted to post this chapter to give everyone a better idea of what is going on without actually giving the whole plot away.

This'll serve as a time jump chapter, except there'll be several.

Hope this answers some questions!

* * *

Chapter 3 "2013"

* * *

 **September, 2013**

"Is this it?" Emma looked around the dingy, little apartment that would be her home for the next three years. Thank goodness she wasn't alone.

"Hey! This has been my home for the last couple of months, you know" Elsa pouted, attempting to tidy the pillows on the sofa up to make it seem a little better.

"Oh, come on! We won't even be staying in this shit-show most nights." Belle practically pranced into the room, throwing her bags to the ground. "Ruby and I called the end room, by the way" She glanced over to Emma, making a point of letting her know that she wouldn't be joining them.

"I'll just crash with El" The blonde flashed Elsa a smile, which was not returned. "Where is Ruby, by the way?" Emma dropped her bags onto the sofa and was met with a glare from Elsa, who just threw them back onto the ground.

Belle began her tour around the apartment, scavenging through drawers in the kitchen, "She's gonna be a little late" She picked up a straw with what looked like a penis, on the end. "Uh, El?"

Elsa's head snapped up and she stared at Belle in shock horror. "Get that back in there! It's not mines!"

Emma burst into fits of laughter as she watched the other blonde chase Belle around the tiny apartment, bumping into furniture and knocking bags everywhere.

Belle and Emma had met through their mutual friend, Ruby, who was also living with them in the cramped little flat. Ruby and Emma had known each other from kindergarten, way back in Storybrooke. Emma never really classed Ruby as a best friend but when she learned of Ruby's acceptance into the same art school, they decided that it'd be better to stick together.

Elsa was the newbie to the group. She had already studied at the university for a year and fortunately, had decided to post an ad for three new flatmates. Luckily, Belle knew a friendly face when she saw one and the four girls had previously met up before officially becoming flatmates.

Emma was wandering the apartment, heading towards her new bedroom when someone knocked on her front door. She looked over her shoulder to the other girls and then shrugged, "must be Ruby" she swung the door open, prepared to throw her arms around her friend. But it wasn't Ruby at all.

"You alright, darlin'?"

The blonde took in the sight before her. A scruffy looking man, his black leather pants were practically a second skin and he wore a ripped, transparent shirt that possibly could have been white some time ago. She was sure this was what her mother had warned her about; beggars and

homeless folks. Except this man before her didn't seem to be any of those things. Just "creepy as fuck" she thought. "Hey" She mumbled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I live next door" he looked Emma up and down with a somewhat predatory gaze, which Emma did not like at all, "you got a name, love?"

She nodded, shifting from one foot to another, "I'm Emma"

Belle and Elsa finally looked around to witness their "neighbour" standing by the front door with their friend. The red-head made her way to the front door, "Hello, mate!" She laughed, eyeing up his leather pants and the eyeliner smudged under his eyes, "Wow, you're really going for the Jack Sparrow/Russell Brand look, aren't you?"

Creepy's eyes shot up to the red-headed beauty, who was now apparently trying to insult him. "I can go for any look you want, babe" he sent her a wink, which was met with a gagging noise.

Emma, mortified, said her goodbyes to her new neighbour and headed back into the living room. Belle was on the sofa, laughing so hard that she had just started wheezing.

By this time, Ruby had gotten into the apartment and dropped her bags at the front door, "Great, she's gonna have a fucking asthma attack!"

Elsa spun so fast she was sure she had just gone back in time, while Emma ran towards the door to hug her friend. "You took your sweet time" She wrapped her arms around the tall brunette's neck, hugging her tight.

"Traffic was a nightmare, sorry guys" She let go of Emma and made her way over to Elsa and Belle. "Okay ladies" She patted Belle's knee and pulled a bottle of champagne from her handbag, "Let's make a toast!"

Emma grabbed four plastic cups from the counter, while Ruby popped the champagne which cause Belle to start screaming, thinking for sure that it was gonna hit her head. Ruby poured the four cups and each of the girls raised their cups, yelling simultaneously, "To new adventures"

* * *

 **October, 2013 (Halloween)**

The four girls were spaced out around the living room. Elsa and Ruby had taken over one of the sofas, leaving Emma on the armchair and Belle sprawled out over the floor.

"See, this part gets me every time!" Belle piped up, throwing a malteaser at the TV screen. She rolled onto her back and then leaned up on her arms, looking at the other three girls.

Who were all asleep.

"Nerds" Belle rolled her eyes and bounced up. She dragged her feet all the way to the bathroom, hoping to wake them up, especially after leaving her to watch a horror movie on Halloween, all by herself. She flushed the toilet, washed her hands and then glanced up to the mirror, half expecting someone to be behind her. She smirked at the mere thought and then proceeded to brush her teeth, only, something caught her eye.

When she rinsed her mouth, she noticed a small hole in the wall. It was only about an inch wide and she couldn't see anything through it but it was still there. She thought of all the insects that she was terrified of, climbing through the hole and that was enough to make her forget all about it. She flicked the light switch and headed out.

The bathroom door closed.

There was a light creaking noise, followed by a sharp sound of metal against stone and that small hole on the wall, lit up.

* * *

 **November 2013**

As November was soon coming to an end, the girls had decided that they would start decorating the flat even though each of them would be going home for Christmas. They each decided to take on a different task. Emma was in charge of decorating the Christmas Tree, Elsa was in charge of decorating each of the windows, Ruby was in charge of making Egg Nogg and Mulled Wine and Belle was left to decorate the rest of the flat.

It took them about four hours, all in.

"This place kicks the North Pole's butt" Belle yelled out, throwing Christmas tree confetti over the floor, while Emma finished off the tree with the star on top and Ruby poured them all some mulled wine. Elsa sprayed more fake snow on the windows and all four girls then stood back to take in their teamwork.

The girls sat down to dinner together, drinking Mulled Wine and watching TV. They were discussing possible activities they could partake in during the holidays when something on the TV caught Belle's eye.

"Guys, look" She gestured to the TV and Emma grabbed the remote to turn it up.

"Three bodies have been found in a slaughter house in central London today. The three girls have been identified and named by their families and police are now investigating each murder. The three girls were reported missing when they didn't return home after a night out, two days ago."

"Holy shit" Ruby whispered, her hand covering her mouth as the pictures of the slaughter house were brought up on screen, "I've been there before, tons of times"

"Did you murder anyone?" Belle piped up, the other three girls just glared at her and shook their heads. "Whatever, I bet it was creepy next door" She bit into her slice of pizza and turned back to the screen.

* * *

 **December, 2013**

"Belle! Move your ass or I'm gonna leave without you!" Ruby screamed, standing by the front door with her handbag swinging on her arm.

Belle was brushing her teeth so quickly she could practically feel her gums burn. She rinsed her mouth several times and then checked her make up in the mirror. She took the mouthwash from the cabinet above and rinsed her mouth with it before she leaned over and spat out, into the sink. As she came back up, something caught her eye. It was that same hole in the wall.

She knelt down past the sink and closed one eye to make it easier to peer through. "Ruby!" She yelled, "Get in here, now!"

Ruby rushed into the bathroom, expecting to find Belle flat on her ass or with a broken neck. She leaned her head to the side, trying to figure out what the red-head was doing. "What's going on? Got another huge-ass pimple?"

Belle turned over her shoulder, her face much paler than usual. "I think creepy has been watching us"

The brunette stared at Belle, shaking her head. "Belle, this isn't funny" The red-head gestured to the hole in the wall. Ruby looked from Belle, to the hole and then knelt down. Her breath hitched, peering into the room next door.

It was dark, the furniture covered with large white sheets. There was a solitary chair sat in the middle of the room, a bottle of whisky sitting adjacent from the chair leg. She gulped and stood upright once more.

"What a fucking pervert!"

Belle grabbed a rag from the bath tub and stuffed it into the hole, "problem solved, let's go!" she grabbed Ruby's arm and tugged her towards the front door, "come on, he's just a creep"

* * *

 **January, 2014**

Emma sat on the plush sofa in Archie's office, accompanied by the doctor and his dog, Pongo. Her eyes darted around the room and she fiddled with her hands in her lap, nervously. All the while Archie observed her actions and facial expressions.

"Emma, we have forty minutes left." He set his notepad aside and leaned forward, "I know that this is very scary and you're still processing what has happened but you can talk to me" He offered a reassuring smile.

The blonde remained silent, looking up at the fish tank that covered half of the wall, opposite her. Pongo nudged her hand with his nose, urging her to pet him, Emma looked down at the Dalmatian and run her fingers over his nose. "I could talk about it"

Archie perked up, hoping that this would be the break through that they needed.

"But it won't bring Belle back. She'll still be dead. It won't change what happened that night and it certainly won't stop me from having nightmares." She was transfixed on the spot on the end of Pongo's nose, "I'm done" She shook herself from the trance and stood up.

The doctor tried to reason with her but he could tell, Emma was in no mood to be dragged back into the events of that night. He watched as she left his office for the 4th time that month. He had gotten nowhere. He plucked the tape recorder from the coffee table and brought it to his mouth. "Week four; Emma is still supressing the memories of that night and refuses to talk, in detail, about the events. This will be Emma's last session."

Archie pressed the stop button and threw the recorder onto the sofa, opposite him. Just then, the phone rang. He dragged himself over to the bookcase and picked up the phone, a voice spoke before he could,

"Doctor Archie Hopper?"

It was a female voice, he tried to figure out who it could be on the other end of the line, "Yes, this is he"

"My name is Regina Mills." She spoke, "I was wondering if it would be possible if we could meet? Preferably, out-with Storybrooke."

Archie's brows furrowed in confusion, "Are you looking to start sessions?"

"Doctor Hopper, my mental state is perfectly fine." She replied. "This is about Emma Swan" He looked up, not expecting that name to come up. He was given a time, a day and an address. "Doctor Hopper, it is with thee up-most importance that you do not share my location." He nodded against the phone and whispered, yes. "Emma cannot find out"

* * *

 **Present Day**

Archie paced up and down his office, awaiting a knock on his door. He jumped when the clock chimed, telling him that it was now midnight. The phone rang and he picked it up instantly.

"Did you get the instructions?"

He nodded his head against the phone and picked up the sheet of paper laying on his desk. "Yes" He started, his hand shaking slightly, "How can they be sure that—"

"They've been using trackers for months now"

"Regina" Archie faltered, "What if this plan doesn't work? Why can't we just tell her-"

"Her friends are dead, Archie" Regina hissed through the phone, "We protect her, at all costs" The brunette paused for a moment, "She's the last one—She's our only hope"

* * *

Emma was startled awake by a scream from the TV, her eyes opened slowly and she took in her surroundings. She had fallen asleep on the sofa.

She stretched out her arms and legs and got up, making her way over to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass of water and turned towards the stairs, only she noticed that her father's laptop was still lit up over on his desk. Emma rolled her eyes and sat the glass back down before she brushed her finger over the mousepad. The screen lit up, catching Emma's attention.

There was a message.

 **EVENT 23 HAS BEGUN**

 **PROTECT EMMA SWAN AT ALL COSTS**

 **\- VENUSTUS**

Emma re-read the message over and over, trying to make sense of it. She scanned over the name, "venustus" the blonde shook her head, "who is venustus?"

* * *

 **A/N**

Who is venustus?


	4. The Homicide Detective

**A/N**

I'm trying to keep the first couple chapters as vague as can be, just to make sure there are plenty of details. You'll figure it out soon enough!

Time for some background on Mayor Mills!

(This chapter is a lot darker than the last chapters so be aware, mentions of dead bodies)

Maura Isles may be making an appearance in this chapter….

P.S **VENUSTUS** is Latin.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3 "The Homicide Detective"

* * *

 **November, 2013**

Regina poured herself a glass of white wine and plopped down on her sofa, sinking in. A sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort of her home.

The phone rang. Regina huffed, setting her glass of pinot grigio on the coffee table before she grabbed her phone and put it to her ear with hesitance, "hello?"

"So you're finally home, eh?"

The brunette smirked and rested back against the plush pillows once more. It was comforting to hear her best friends voice. Regina and Kathryn worked together at the station, when Kathryn wasn't spending time at home with her new-born, Alex. Regina listened intently to her friend who was ranting on about how many hours of sleep she had the previous night and the night before that and so on.

"Regina, I haven't slept in almost 54 hours. I'm literally a zombie." The blonde sounded irritated as she spoke about the struggles of having a new born baby.

"Trust me, Kat, you're pretty lucky not to be at work right now" The brunette sighed, "each case just seems to be getting even more vile and grotesque" She sipped her wine and picked up the remote, flicking through the channels.

Slightly intrigued, Kathryn perked up against the phone, "Sometimes I wish I was smelling rotting flesh rather than Alex's poop"

The brunette's face screwed up in disgust, "I doubt that" the TV caught her eye and so she turned the volume up slightly, while continuing to listen to her friend rant.

"No, you don't understand—it's so bad"

"I can't imagine what you're going-" Regina stopped and turned the TV up, quickly. She pressed the loud speaker button on her phone and set it down on the coffee table. "Kat, are you watching the news?"

Kathryn's brow rose and she turned towards the TV in the corner of her living room, "Nope" She grabbed the remote from the table beside her sofa and turned the TV on. A news presenter popped up on the screen looking somewhat disturbed, "Two bodies were found this morning near Cape Cod. Investigators have closed off most of the area and it is now reported that both victims were female"

The reporter continued talking but both Regina and Kathryn were completely silent, until Alex's cries in the background broke the silence.

"Have you gotten a phonecall yet, Regina?" There was a sigh, followed by a "No"

"Kathryn, this is the third one" The brunette took a deep breath and then grabbed her glass of wine, completely finishing it off. "I should go" She set her glass down and shifted off of the sofa "Angelo might be trying to call me right now"

Both women said their goodbyes and hung up. Regina moved over to the counter and poured herself another glass of wine. Moments like these had her wishing that she'd never become a homicide detective but then again, she was the best.

Her phone rang and she picked it up instantly, "Mills"

"Regina, you gotta come in" Angelo's voice was full of despair, she nodded against her phone and whispered a silent "Okay" before she hung up.

The brunette placed her wine glass into the sink before she rushed towards the door, slipping on her heels and grabbing her coat as she went. There were horrible thoughts entering her mind. Thoughts of the bodies, the poor girls who had suffered and the families who would now be completely distraught and without their daughters.

The murders had begun over a year ago. The first murder, back in July 2012, had buried itself inside Regina's mind. She had only just started out as a homicide detective. She remembered that it had been raining that day and that the phone call had come while she was having coffee with Kathryn. They had both been called to the scene, really just to observe the other officers.

It took her over two weeks to forget the smell of rotting flesh and vomit. Three girls were murdered in an abandoned house right by a children's playground. An eight-year-old boy had found them after he had kicked his ball in through one of the windows.

The second murder had taken place at an abandoned museum and had been the most disturbing for Regina. There had been three female victims, one of which had been nailed to the wall. She couldn't get the image out of her head for weeks. She had taken a small vacation after the murder and had only returned to work after Kathryn had practically dragged her there.

Boston PD had worked with other police departments in the surrounding area, hoping to get some answers or a huge breakthrough.

With each murder, came more answers and more questions. Together, they had three definitive answers; There had to be at least two or more murderers, the murders were taking place in abandoned areas and the female victims were being subjected to satanic rituals before being killed. That part scared Regina most of all.

As she entered the station that night, Regina could feel the atmosphere had changed dramatically. This always happened after these particular murders. She couldn't imagine what the parents of the young girls were going through. She didn't want to imagine.

She took the elevator up to the second floor and headed straight into Angelo's office. He was sat at his desk, head in his hands and a steaming cup of coffee sat by his computer. Regina paused for a moment before she coughed, making him aware of her presence. His head snapped up immediately.

"Are we heading out now?"

Angelo took a deep breath, sighed and then nodded his head. "Yeah, let's go"

Angelo had been Regina's partner ever since Kathryn had left for maternity leave four months before. He had completely taken Regina under his wing and the two had grown very close. Plenty of people within the station had mistook them for a couple but both had very good excuses for not being one; they were both gay.

The brunette followed him out of the office and towards the elevator. They stayed silent for a while before Angelo finally spoke up. "This is gonna be tough" He looked down at the floor, completely miserable, "make sure you're prepared for this"

Regina nodded her head slowly and looked over in his direction, "they're always tough"

* * *

The drive down to Cape Cod last over two hours. It was around 8.45pm before they arrived. Maura, the medical examiner had been waiting by the coroner's van for over an hour. She approached the detectives as they left Angelo's car.

"Good evening, Doctor Isles" Regina offered Maura a polite smile before she headed off towards the crime scene, down by the beach, leaving Angelo and Maura to talk. The tide had come in but had left plenty of room for the detectives and investigators to move around the scene without disturbing any evidence. She came upon a small, abandoned shack. The investigators had begun snapping pictures and talking between themselves, discussing their findings. Regina braced herself and then turned the corner but there was no way she could really prepare herself for what she was about to see.

The three bodies, naked, blood and bruised, had been hung from the ceiling of the shack. Regina fought the urge to turn and run back up the hill.

The brunette stepped closer to the shack and slipped her hand into her back pocket, pulling out a small torch. She shone the light into the shack and on and around the bodies.

Angelo approached the scene with Maura, who had now been given permission to conduct her examinations. Regina stood back while the doctor did her job. She scanned over each inch of the shack, noticing the satanic symbols carved into the shack. The symbols had become a part of each murder. Yet there had been no other evidence found. Nothing.

"There's a name carved on the upper thigh of this female"

Regina's head instantly dropped to the doctor conducting an examination on the ground. She quickly knelt down beside Maura and looked closer. The brunette's head tilted, leveling up to try and read the name aloud.

The doctor beside her, observed Regina's confused facial expressions and attempted to say it herself, "oiad mahorela avini"

The brunette turned to Maura, her brows furrowed in confusion, "you sound like you're speaking in tongues"

"not quite, Regina" Maura started, while she gestured to the writing on the girl's leg, "this is Enochian" she gathered up her tools and stood.

"What kind of language is that?" Regina asked.

"It very much depends on who you ask" Maura replied, zipping up her bag, "Many say that Enochian is the language of the Angels and some say it's the language of the Devil himself"

Regina had sworn her heart had stopped beating, "Are you telling me that the devil is doing this?"

Maura stared blankly at Regina before she laughed to herself while shaking her head, "absolutely not!" She gestured, again, to the writing on the victim's thigh, "the person or persons who killed these women, mostly like are Satanists"

That didn't make Regina feel any better, she offered a shrug of her shoulders, "we'll just have someone translate this, maybe we have a clue here"

"No need" Maura pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder and smoothed out her skirt, "It translates as 'The Dark Ones'" She stated, matter-of-fact.

The homicide detective shifted uncomfortably while the doctor excused herself. Regina took a moment before she peered down at the name carved into the victim's body. She could feel her heart starting to beat faster as fear crept up on her.

She made sure the investigators took numerous pictures of the name and then she made her way back to her partner who was speaking with Maura.

Angelo looked up as Regina came into view, he offered her a reassuring smile, "looks like we may have a name"

"Yeah" She nodded and looked back over her shoulder towards the crime scene. The wind was picking up. The investigators had set up a tent to cover up the scene while they continued with their investigation. Regina shuddered as the image of the bodies flooded her mind once more, "I'm gonna head back to the station"

"Sure, I'll ride with Maura" Angelo patted Regina's shoulder as she walked past him and into the police car.

* * *

Regina spent the next two hours contemplating whether she should actually return to the station or go home. She decided on the latter.

When she finally arrived back in Boston, it was almost 11.15pm. She noted that this had been the longest working day yet. The detectives had been spending so long on each of these cases that vacations had been put on hold, along with their lives.

The brunette stepped out of the car and made her way up the stairs, towards the entrance of Boston PD.

"Detective Mills!"

Regina spun around, her eyes landing upon a much older woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was covered head-to-toe in black and gave off a very Stevie Nicks-esque vibe.

"May I speak with you, Detective Mills?" She asked, already making her way up the steps.

The brunette stood on the same spot, "Of course" She shifted to allow the woman to walk on in front of her, into the station, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I saw the news" She stated, "I know that there has been another murder"

Regina shifted from her left foot to her right, bringing her hands up to her hips, "Is there something that you would like to share with me?"

"My name is Daria Jones, My daughter Eva was killed in December, 2012" The brunette suddenly felt very uncomfortable, especially after almost accusing the woman of manslaughter.

"I'm very sorry" Regina sighed and gestured to the entrance, "Please come in and talk with me"

The older woman shook her head and moved her hand off into her handbag. She pulled out a photograph with a letter attached to it. "This is my daughter and this is a letter she sent me while she was staying with her friends in Paris" Regina took the letter from the older woman and slipped it into her jacket pocket.

"If you thought this would help our investigation, why didn't you hand it in already?"

"I was afraid that they would come for me next" Daria offered, sheer panic in her voice. "They killed my daughter in Boston but they had been hunting her for months"

Regina's head lifted, her attention now solely on the woman in front of her, "and you know this, how?"

"In her letter" Daria replied, pointing to Regina's pocket. "She said she felt like she was being watched and followed but her friends wouldn't believe her" The brunette pulled the letter from her pocket while Daria continued, "I didn't take her seriously but now it all makes sense, doesn't it"

Regina sighed and looked from the letter to Daria.

"The picture was taken in Paris two days before she came home" the mother stated, gesturing to Regina's hand. "Use the letter and picture how you will just—please give me some answers"

Both the detective and Daria nodded in understanding and after a moment, went their separate ways. The brunette pushed the photograph and letter back into her pocket and headed into the station.

* * *

Three hours had gone by, Regina had gotten nowhere and she was starting to become immune to the coffee.

She had been given five boxes of evidence from the last two murders and was waiting patiently for the new picture evidence to be brought in.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Angelo appeared in the doorway of her office and held zip-lock bag in his hand. "I thought you might want these"

Regina looked up and then slowly down to the evidence in his hands. Without saying a word, he walked over and placed the bag onto her desk.

"I'll give you an hour with these and then you're going home, Mills" She nodded quickly and snatched the bag up, quickly unzipping it.

Most of the photos showed the same thing; dead bodies. And if there weren't any dead bodies in the photos, it was mostly just grains of bloody sand beside the bodies. Regina continued to go through the pictures.

Until something caught her eye.

She took the picture in her hand and then slid it under the light on her desk. She then plucked the picture Daria had provided and lay them beside one another.

In the background of the Paris picture with Eva and her friends, a scruffy-looking man was hovering. He wore baggy, ripped jeans and a grey t-shirt.

Regina looked from the murder evidence to Daria's picture, then back again.

"It's the same writing" She whispered to herself, "It's the exact same writing" She was yelling now, which caused Angelo to rush out of his own office.

"Mills?"

"I think I found something, I think—" She looked up at Angelo, her heart racing, "Angelo, I think I just found one of our cult members"

* * *

 **Present Day**

Regina had been awake since 5am. It was extremely hard to rest up when a million things were running through your mind and none of them were nice. She had spent some time looking through her case files and drinking very strong and very large coffees.

As the sun began to rise behind the trees, she peered out of the window and took in the sight of Storybrooke at dawn.

These were the kinds of mornings where she almost wished she was the mayor of this town. She leaned her head against the window, looking down onto the street.

Regina wasn't used to quiet. Boston was busy and bustling and it was full of accents, nothing like Storybrooke. People were kind here and they listened. Even when you're an undercover detective and no one has any idea who you really are. Well, with the exception of a few.

After a much needed shower, she picked out her outfit for the day and made her way downstairs. She hadn't really taken the time to well, take in the Mayor's home. In the weeks she had been there, she had spent most of her time reading, tracking and waiting for her next set of instructions.

She pulled the front door shut behind her and headed out into the street, stuffing her hands into her pockets. Regina walked along the sidewalk, breathing in the icy air surrounding her. She rounded the corner and glanced up towards the window of the Charming's apartment. The curtains were drawn, which didn't surprise her, it was only 5.45am.

She kept her head down and walked on. Regina watched as her feet pushed the thin layer of snowing covering the ground, onto her boots. She smiled, feeling slightly childish. But that was the least of her worries as she collided with a body heading her way, causing both of them to slip on the snow and fall back, flat onto their behinds.

"Dammit" She mumbled, trying to grab anything she could to get back up.

"Regina?"

Regina's head snapped up, her eyes landing upon shimmery, green orbs. She offered an apologetic smile, "Hello, Emma" She got up and began to brush off the snow from her knees.

"Do you usually get up this early?" Emma asked, shaking off the snow from her hands, she smacked the snow away from her behind and then turned slightly, "Did I get the snow off my ass?"

The brunette paused, wondering which question to ask first. She chose the latter and her eyes fell to Emma's behind. Regina's head tilted to the side and her brows rose as she took in the sight of Emma's perfectly shaped rear, "Yes, it's perfectly fine"

"Wow, are you flirting with me?" Emma joked, turning back to Regina.

Regina rolled her eyes and scoffed with an amused smile, "You'd know if I was flirting with you, Emma"

The blonde's lips curled up, "I don't think you'd know how to flirt, Mayor Mills" Emma challenged, shifting closer to the brunette. She let her eyes slowly rake up and down Regina's fine physique.

Regina shook her head and blushed as she watched Emma check her out. She nudged Emma's side and smiled, "Would you like to join me?"

Emma perked up, her eyes shot up. "I would, yeah" The brunette flashed a smile and continued walking, Emma caught up and they headed off towards Granny's diner.

"So tell me a secret about yourself"

The brunette looked over at the blonde, slightly taken aback. Regina thought for a moment and smiled, "You first"

Emma sighed, a smile found its way onto her slightly-chapped lips. "When I was in pre-school, I used to tell all my friends that my name was Emma Swan because I was part-swan and so-" She caught sight of Regina's smile and continued, laughing, "one day they made me prove it." Regina's eyes narrowed and Emma laughed, "on the way home from school I jumped into the water by the pier and almost drowned"

The blonde looked over to Regina who she was sure, was about to start yelling at her. "Why on earth would you do such a thing?"

"I don't know" She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "I wanted to be a swan so bad and well, it's kinda worker, I mean—people call me Emma Swan"

Regina's brow rose, still slightly concerned, "You're an idiot, Emma Swan"

"I know" The blonde replied, "But that'll be something that'll grow on you eventually"

The brunette smirked and walked up the steps to Granny's, then pulled the door open, "We'll see about that, dear"

* * *

 **A/N**

No, this is not a Paranormal Activity fic, there'll be no spooky, ghosty stuff!

No, it's not a horror fic and there won't be any gory killings.

Just painting a picture!


	5. Hungry Eyes

**A/N**

So I'm gonna try and upload a new chapter every day.

Also if you have any questions or wanna chat, you can find me on tumblr and twitter as reginamlls

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 5 "Hungry Eyes"

* * *

Granny's diner was empty, as was expected since most of the residents of Storybrooke were mostly likely still sound asleep. Emma had convinced Regina to take a seat by the window while she ordered for them, which had terrified the brunette. She kept looking up towards the counter, trying to read Emma's lips as she ordered their food.

Regina wasn't usually one to allow people to do things for her, especially not order her food. She had spent most of her life keeping herself to herself and only rarely did she make friends with strangers. In this case, she was completely and utterly confused.

She knew she was only in Storybrooke to protect Emma and to ensure that no harm should ever come to her but it just wasn't enough. Even while they only seemed to spend the smallest length of time together, Regina was utterly intrigued. As the brunette wondered about her inevitable friendship with Emma Swan, said blonde plopped down in front of her, holding two small plates.

"I wanted to get you grilled cheese so bad" Emma started, holding the plates up out of Regina's sight, "but I settled for kale because I was pretty sure you might just get up and leave"

The brunette peered down at the plate as Emma slowly set it down. She smirked and looked straight back up at the blonde, who seemed to be waiting for Regina to say something. The brunette offered a shrug of her shoulders, "I enjoy kale very much but I'm not opposed to trying new things, Emma" She laughed as Emma huffed and relaxed into the chair opposite her.

"Now I wish I had gotten you the grilled cheese"

Regina observed Emma. She was very childlike and seemed very lost in innocence. "How about this," The brunette spoke up, shifting her plate of kale salad forward, "I'll take a bite of your grilled cheese and you can take a bite of my salad"

Emma looked from Regina, down to the kale salad and then back up again before her faced screwed up in disgust. "I can't eat that" She shifted Regina's plate forwards, along with her own. "Kale is green and disgusting, grilled cheese is orgasmic"

The brunette flashed an amused smile and rolled her eyes, "I'll be the judge of that, dear"

Regina pulled the plate closer and pulled the grilled cheese apart slowly while Emma watched and waited for her reaction. The brunette brought the sandwich to her lips and took a small bite. The blonde waited patiently before she gestured to the sandwich, "well?"

"I've had better" Regina grabbed a napkin and cleaned her fingers and the sides of her mouth, "Far too greasy, if I'm honest"

Emma shook her head, faking disappointment. "I can't believe you just said that, how could you?"

Regina's eyes shot up, not quite understanding what was happening. She observed Emma's face and gulped, "I didn't think it meant that much to you, I'm so sorry—"

The blonde looked up at Regina, almost feeling instantly guilty as she realised that Regina hadn't gotten her little joke. "Oh, goodness" She chuckled and leaned forward, "I was joking" She offered an apologetic smile as Regina pouted.

"I really thought you were upset, now I feel silly"

"No, it was adorable, you're—you're adorable"

Regina's head tilted as she watched Emma, both women staring into the pair of eyes opposite them. She could feel her cheeks warming as Emma continued staring. She liked how it felt, having Emma watch her. "I don't think I've ever been called that before"

Emma smiled and looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Well, you have now" She chewed her lip nervously and Regina smirked as she pulled her plate of kale towards her and picked up her fork.

* * *

After spending over two hours talking, laughing and blatantly flirting with each other, both women decided it was time to get going. Regina had lied, telling Emma that she had to prepare for a meeting at town hall and Emma had bought it straight away.

They had said their goodbyes and Emma had gone as far as to kiss Regina's cheek, which had made Regina blush but also freak out a little.

Regina couldn't understand why she was allowing herself to enjoy Emma's company so much, knowing that it couldn't last forever. Eventually, whatever the outcome, Regina would return to Boston and never look back.

Emma certainly was growing on her. She could hear Emma's voice in her head saying, "I told you so"

After the mini freak out, Regina decided she would walk Emma back to the apartment before heading home. They talked about the Mayor's mansion on the way. Emma had asked how many rooms there were and if all food was provided and did she have a pool. Regina seemed so content and amused as she answered each of her questions.

As they approached the apartment building, Emma spun around to face Regina. "Can I ask you a question?"

Regina stopped beside Emma and shifted slightly, "You may"

"We're having dinner tonight" Emma stated, matter of fact.

"That's not a question, Emma" Regina replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Is it a date?" Emma asked.

The brunette paused for a moment before she looked down towards her feet, "I'm not—I haven't thought—"

Emma's smile faltered and soon disappeared completely. She hated that she had allowed herself to think it was a date. She watched as Regina attempted to answer her question, feeling slightly guilty for putting the older woman on the spot. "It's fine, Regina" She reassured the brunette before she whispered a goodbye and walked off towards the entrance, "I'll see you tonight"

"Wait" Regina called out before she caught up with Emma. She waited for Emma to turn around before continuing. "We'll get dressed up and we'll have dinner together" She paused for a moment, hoping Emma would perk up a little, "We'll have some wine and then we'll see what happens"

Emma's face reddened instantly, which caused Regina to backtrack immediately.

"No! No, not that" She blushed furiously and stepped backwards, "I meant, we'll just see how things go"

The blonde was laughing now and nodding her head in understanding, "It's okay, I get it" She composed herself, "I like that idea"

Regina scratched her head, still feeling utterly embarrassed. "Okay, great!" She walked backwards, "I'll see you at 7.30pm"

Emma nodded once more, waved, turned and headed into the apartment building. Regina marched off towards Mifflin Street, her face still bright red.

* * *

When she got to the mansion, she immediately headed off towards her office and attempted to clear her mind of her embarrassing speech earlier. She plopped down onto her office chair and sighed, resting her back against the leather.

Her phone rang and she jumped, banging her knee off of her desk. "Fucking fuck! SHIT!" She yelled, attempting to find her phone under the mess of papers on her desk. She eventually found it and looked at the screen, already recognising the number.

"What can I do for you, Angelo?"

"Regina, he's in Maine. They're all in Maine, they're trying to find her"

Regina's breath hitched and she froze.

* * *

Emma had spent the rest of her day helping her father out at the pet shelter, while secretly panicking about what she should wear for dinner with Regina.

David had known there was something on Emma's mind all morning. He knew his daughter far too well and could easily identify when there was something bothering her. "Okay, what's going on?"

The blonde snapped out of her daydream and peered up at her father, who was attempting to feed a small dog in one of the stalls. "Nothing, nothing" She pouted, "It's just Regina"

"What about her?"

Emma paused, her father stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. She shrugged her shoulders, "We're having dinner tonight and I asked her if it was a date and she totally freaked out on me"

David stared at his daughter, a smile forming on his face.

"So I told her that it was fine and I got all moody and then she made an inappropriate comment and then she was embarrassed and so I think we're having a date now but I don't know what to wear" Emma sighed and her head sunk down onto the counter.

"Okay" David narrowed his eyes, "So you and Regina, huh?" He smirked and walked towards Emma, wiping off feed from his hands.

Emma peeked out from her arms surrounding her head on the counter and then hid her face again, mumbling against the counter, "Yeah"

David took the muffled "Yeah" as a yes and then started clapping his hands together, "I can't believe this is finally happening" He looked over at Emma, "you're finally opening yourself up to someone"

Emma made a gagging noise and leaned back, "stop being gross, dad"

They both laughed, David walked over and sat down beside his daughter behind the counter. "I've been there with your mother, you know" He crossed his arms and leaned back, "and look how we've turned out, we've been married for thirteen years"

The blonde turned to her father, "I just don't wanna do the whole one-sided thing"

"You have far too many expectations, Emma"

She nodded her head and rested it against her father's shoulder, "I know" Emma sighed, "I just really like her"

David flashed her a sympathetic smile before wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

* * *

It had taken a good fifteen minutes before Regina was able to snap herself out of her state of shock. She had told Angelo she'd call back but that was the last thing she'd be doing. She had spent the rest of the day trying to take her mind off of the news.

She wanted to go out there. She wanted to find the bastards and kill them one by one but no, that was not the plan. She had to stay here. There were no instructions for this part. But she knew one thing; she had to protect Emma. They hadn't found her yet but if they had come to Maine, they had a head start.

When 6.00pm came around, Regina started prepping for dinner. She had realised that although she couldn't do anything out within Storybrooke, she could keep Emma safe here. The brunette had considered cancelling dinner but knew that the safest place for Emma to be, would be at the mansion, with her.

She opened a bottle of pinot grigio and poured herself a glass. If she wanted to keep herself calm throughout dinner, she was gonna need some help. She downed her first glass and then another before she poured herself another full one.

As time started to pass and dinner slowly started to come together, she rushed upstairs to pick out an outfit. Although she had said that it wasn't exclusively a date, Regina wanted to look damn good for Emma and if it took her mind off of the news from earlier, she'd damn well do it.

After a quick shower, the brunette slipped into a royal blue dress and paired it with black heels before she blow-dried her hair. Regina applied her favourite blood-red lipstick and quickly applied some mascara.

"That'll do" She smoothed out her dress and glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked good. That made her feel a little more at ease.

Once downstairs, Regina set out the dining room table and lit two candles. The grandfather clock chimed at 7.00pm.

She stood by the kitchen counter and took a moment to herself. Regina shifted from side to side, while sipping her white wine. She felt a lot more relaxed as soon as dinner was almost ready and the wine worked its magic.

By the time 7.30pm came around, Regina was feeling slightly tipsy but she knew that was only heightened by nerves. She went around the living room and dining room, ensuring everything was tidy and clean.

The doorbell rang, causing her to jump.

She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to compose herself. Regina walked out into the hallway and took a moment by the mirror, giving herself a pep talk.

"This is fine. She'll be safer here" She breathed out slowly and spoke once more, "You are incredibly attractive and so is she" Now Regina was just thinking about what Emma would be wearing and how wonderful she would look.

But that was an understatement.

Regina pulled the door open, getting ready to greet the blonde but words completely failed her when she laid eyes on the woman.

Emma wore a red dress and matching red heels. The dress clung to her every curve so deliciously that Regina felt she might melt right there and then.

Regina had completely forgotten all about Angelo and his news.

The blonde pushed her hair off of her shoulder, the blonde curls falling onto her back. "You look incredible" Emma offered, her eyes raking over Regina's body. Her eyes fell upon Regina's plump lips, greatly appreciating the choice in colour. "Aren't you gonna let me in?"

The brunette's eyes wandered over every inch of Emma's form. "Oh, wow" She gulped and nodded her head in response to Emma's question, "Yes, please do come in"

When the door shut behind Emma, Regina lead the way towards the living room. Candles lit up the small coffee table and Regina gestured to a table by the window, "Would you like a drink?"

"Oh yeah, sure" Emma replied, taking in her surroundings, "This place is stunning"

Regina poured two glasses of apple cider and turned to face Emma, who was standing by the sofa, looking around at the paintings on the walls and the ceiling décor, "Yes, you are quite stunning" confidence filled Regina once again.

Emma's eyes fixed on a painting, before they darted back to Regina who was making her way over. She blushed furiously as Regina complimented her. "You're not so bad yourself"

The brunette smirked and gestured to the sofa, "Let's sit, dinner will be ready soon"

The blonde shifted closer before she sat down on the sofa beside Regina. It was incredibly difficult to hold conversation with the brunette because both women kept checking each other out. Emma felt like she was in High School all over again.

Regina leaned back against the sofa but kept her body facing towards the blonde and sipped her drink. "I hope you're hungry"

Emma chewed her lip nervously before she nodded her head, solely focusing on the way Regina sipped her drink, "Yeah, I'm hungry" She breathed out, her eyes fixated on the gorgeous brunette in front of her.

Regina brought her glass up to her mouth, a slight smirk gracing her lips. "I bet you are, Emma"

* * *

 **A/N**

*Sniffs* I smell a change in rating..


	6. Your Turn

**A/N**

This fic is now rated M

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6 "Your Turn"

* * *

A buzzer sounded, pulling both women from their lust-filled stares. Regina set her glass down and stood up from the sofa. "Dinner's ready" She walked off towards the foyer, leaving the blonde to her own devices or to compose herself after their eye-fucking session.

Emma quickly stood and followed Regina, attempting to make her way towards the kitchen. The brunette stepped into the dining room and caught a very confused Emma wandering around the foyer. Amused, she set out the food on the table and made sure she was heard. The blonde's eyes darted towards the dining room and she let out a breath, relieved.

"This house is like a maze" The blonde stated before she sat down at the table where a plate of food had been placed. "And this smells incredible, Regina"

Regina's face warmed as Emma complimented her. She offered a smile as a thank you and sat down beside the blonde before shifting a little closer beside her. "It's my favourite thing to cook"

Both women sat in silence for a short while, the only sound being the noise the cutlery made while they each took bites of their food. Emma would glance to Regina every so often, enjoying the way her lips wrapped around the fork.

The brunette could sense she was being watched but it didn't bother her in the slightest, in fact it only made things that much hotter. She shifted in her chair before looking up to the blonde. "I'll tidy up a little after we're done with dinner, I'm sure you can keep yourself busy for a little while, right?"

Emma finished off her lasagne and placed her fork down on the plate, while nodding and agreeing with Regina's plan. She watched as the older woman picked up both plates and disappeared behind a door to the left. Emma decided that room must be the kitchen. She got up from her place at the table and walked around before pushing her chair back into its place.

Each room of the house was dimly lit. Emma wandered around the downstairs, checking out the different paintings and canvases on the walls. One painting in particular caught her eye. It was of a young woman lying in bed, surrounded by dark shadows.

"Do you like it?"

Emma's heart pounded, hearing Regina's voice behind her. She didn't bother to turn around. "I'm not sure" She stepped a little closer, taking in every inch of the painting.

"Apparently, the dark shadows represent loneliness" Regina whispered, moving closer to the blonde. "But I think they represent desire" She breathed against Emma's neck, "Look at where her hand is" Regina reached an arm around Emma's waist, resting it against her hip. "I think she just wants to be touched and those shadows are each of her fantasies"

Emma was frozen on the spot. The way Regina's voice lilted and husked against her ear had her mind in complete lustful chaos. Regina's fingers brushed along the fabric of Emma's dress, finding their way down towards the hem.

"Should we finish what we start earlier, Miss Swan?" That was all It took for Emma to spin around and crash her lips against Regina's. The brunette had been completely taken aback but soon returned the kiss with as much fervour and want.

Both women managed to manoeuvre themselves over to the stairs, taking a brief pause as they slipped off their heels. Emma hadn't even gotten one of the heels off before Regina's mouth was on hers once more.

The stairs were a challenge, both bumping into the wall and knocking canvases off. Regina's hands had found their way to the hem of Emma's dress and in one swift move, she pulled it off over the blonde's head. Emma's body was on fire, every inch of her skin vibrating against Regina's touch, aching for more.

Lips swollen, Emma paused for breath which had been a huge mistake. At that exact moment, Regina's teeth brushed against the blonde's neck, nibbling softly as she made her way down the younger woman's chest. The blonde's chest rose and fell, her heart thumping as she backed Regina down the hallway.

Regina could feel herself going backwards, which made her pause for a moment. She broke away from Emma, her breathing heavy, eyes darkening more and more by the minute.

"Second door on the left" She managed to breath out before attacking Emma's lips again. Regina reached behind herself and hurriedly unzipped her dress, which the younger woman must have taken note of because within seconds, Emma had the dress pooling at the brunette's feet.

Emma backed Regina into the second door on the left, which swung open and allowed the blonde to move Regina further inside the room. She tore her lips away from Regina's, her voice cracking, "Tell me where your bed is or I'm gonna have to fuck you on the floor"

Regina let out a throaty moan before she spun Emma around and pushed her back against the bed, causing the blonde to fall back into silk sheets. "We'll see about that" She climbed atop the blonde and straddled her waist.

And suddenly everything became so very quiet. Emma stared up at the stunning brunette, taking in messy hair, swollen lips and dark, dark eyes. She leaned up on her elbows, allowing herself to have a closer look. Regina suddenly felt very fragile, something that she hadn't really ever felt, especially not before sex.

The air was thick and the room was silent, except for heavy breaths escaping each woman's mouth. The breaths became lighter and lighter until they almost stopped altogether.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Regina asked, in a way that even Regina didn't recognise. Emma could sense the vulnerability in Regina's voice.

"I can't stop" The blonde breathed out before allowing her eyes to roam down and over refined collar bones and a black lace bra. "You are stunning"

The brunette's voice hitched, Emma's words completely taking her by surprise. She had no clue what to say in that moment. As their eyes locked once more, Regina reached behind herself and unclasped her bra before slowly removing it.

A low moan escaped Emma's mouth, her hands immediately replaced Regina's lace bra, cupping her breasts. "God, you have no idea what you're doing to me" Emma moaned, her hips involuntarily bucking against Regina.

Regina was throbbing, aching to be touched but her want for Emma was far greater. She slowly lowered herself, meeting the blonde halfway. Their lips connected once more, as did their hands. Regina began to rock herself against the blonde. While she distracted Emma with kisses, Regina's fingers danced against pale, smooth skin. She traced the outline of Emma's abs before her fingertip slipped under cotton underwear. She broke away from the blonde and looked down into her eyes, "Tell me what you need"

"You" came the answer, instantly.

Regina wasted no time. She slipped her hand into the blonde's soaked underwear, her fingers grazing wet, hot flesh. She held Emma's gaze, wanting to witness every reaction. The blonde's back arched as soon as Regina began to rub circles on Emma's clit, making sure to drag out each movement. "Is this okay?" Emma shot up, her hand tugged Regina's head down to meet her own. She gave a hurried nod and crashed her lips against the brunette's.

Slow, lazy circles became smaller, quicker circles. Regina could feel Emma's wetness against her fingers, which made her fasten her pace, the sounds of Emma's dripping pussy filling Regina's all-too-eager ears. Emma moaned against Regina's mouth, her legs began to shake, as did her full body. Regina knew that Emma wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer, she tore herself away from Emma's kiss and whispered, "Let go, baby"

That was all it took before Emma cried out in pure bliss. "REGINA!" Her whole body shuddered and shook below the brunette, who simply watched as Emma writhed against her silk sheets.

She thought to herself in that moment, that this may have been the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed and it would now be forever stored in her mind.

* * *

A few moments had gone by as Emma recovered from the earth-shattering orgasm she had just endured. She hadn't noticed that Regina was now lying beside her, drawing small patterns on her chest. Emma watched as the brunette's fingers danced over her hip bone, along to her navel and then to the other hip bone. She was in complete awe of this woman.

"Are you tired?" Emma managed to say, her hand moved to rest against Regina's head. The brunette slowly looked up at Emma and the gaze she was met with had her heart racing all over again.

"Of course not," Regina replied, clearly amused. "I was just waiting for you to recover" A smirk found its way onto her lips. She held Emma's stare, attempting to distract her while she swiftly tugged off the blonde's underwear. Emma's eyes followed Regina's. The brunette shifted and settled between Emma's thighs.

"What do you think you're doing?" Emma joked, leaning up on her arms.

"Keep your eyes on me and you'll find out, dear" Regina lowered herself, her tongue dipped out and met Emma's throbbing pussy. Emma cried out in pleasure, her head hitting the sheets once more.

"Oh, God!" Emma panted, her entire body trembling as Regina licked and sucked on her clit. "Regina, please!"

Regina continued her ministrations. She wanted to take her time with Emma, tasting and teasing every inch of her until she came over and over. The brunette's tongue swirled around the blonde's clit, she quickened the pace and looked up to catch Emma staring right back. They held each other's gaze while Regina's arms curled under Emma's thighs, locking her in place. The blonde watched as Regina clamped down on her clit and start sucking forcefully, causing Emma to cry out again and again.

As Emma's orgasm washed over her, the blonde trembled and shook. Her hands attempted to grip anything they possibly could, which happened to be Regina's hand. Regina took the opportunity to move up Emma's body, her fingers taking over from her tongue. The tip of her tongue ran along Emma's pale, smooth skin. Regina used her free hand to push the fabric of Emma's bra, away. Once exposed, Regina peppered Emma's skin with light kisses before her teeth grazed a hard peak, just by the swell of Emma's breast. Regina's lips wrapped around the hardened nipple and she began to nip and suck on the flesh. After several moments, she crossed over to the other breast and continued her ministrations.

* * *

Minutes passed. Regina stared, filled with complete desire as she watched Emma shake and squirm underneath her, for the second time tonight.

The room was filled with silence once again, except for soft whimpers that escaped Emma's mouth every so often. Regina had rested her head against Emma's chest, listening to the sound of her heart beating.

This was all so very interesting for Regina. Sex had always been a very simple thing for her. She'd find a partner, they'd have sex. If the sex was satisfactory, she'd keep them around for a little while and then after some time, she'd get rid. But here, she wanted to stay. She wanted to listen to Emma's heart beating, for as long as time would allow her to.

Emma wondered what Regina was thinking about, if _she_ was part of what she was thinking about. She rested her chin against the brunette's head and brought her arm around to rest on Regina's waist. "Sure you're not tired yet?"

Regina snapped back to reality and turned to glare at Emma, an smile gracing her lips, "No"

Emma didn't waste one second. She grabbed Regina's waist and flipped her, "Good" She breathed, her hands connected with Regina's and she held them against the sheets, "Because it's your turn now, babe"


	7. Cold as Ice

**A/N**

Shit's about to get real.

This is a short chapter because next chapter is a lil bit crazy!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7 "Cold as Ice"

* * *

 _Emma didn't waste one second. She grabbed Regina's waist and flipped her, "Good" She breathed, her hands connected with Regina's and she held them against the sheets, "Because it's your turn now, babe"_

Regina bit down on her bottom lip, holding back a moan that was trying to escape her lips. She reached out to rest her hand on Emma's head, her fingers dragged through soft, blonde curls. Emma began to make her way down Regina's toned body, making sure to cover the woman in soft, delicate kisses.

Emma made a point to look up at the brunette, taking in her reactions to each touch, each kiss. She moved up towards Regina once more, this time her mouth hovered over a hardened nipple. Her tongue dipped out, the tip teasing her nipple before she sucked it into her hot, wet mouth. Regina hissed as Emma's teeth grazed the skin there.

"You're teasing me"

"Be patient" Emma whispered against Regina's breast. She left a trail of kisses as she settled between the brunette's legs once again.

Regina's chest rose and fell, her breaths became heavier. She sucked in a hard gasp as Emma's tongue pressed against her clit, her body felt like it had been set alight, burning with each swipe of the blonde's tongue.

Her eyes slammed shut, hands grabbing at Emma's hair. Her hips bucked against the blonde's face, aching for more.

Emma's eyes never left Regina. Her free hand rested against the brunette's hip, her thumb traced small patterns there. She slowed her pace, allowing herself to feel the way Regina's body reacted to her. She only wanted to please the woman below her. Emma brought her free hand down towards Regina's soaking entrance. She slid two fingers into the brunette's pussy, curling them as she began a "come hither" motion, stroking her walls.

"Does that feel good?"

Regina tried her best to answer Emma's question but she was slightly preoccupied. She threw her hand to the edge of the bed, clutching hard at the sheets.

"Are you gonna come for me?" Emma asked, a smirk playing on her lips. "Come for me, Regina"

The brunette's body shook, her thighs quivering with each movement of Emma's talented tongue and skillful fingers. Regina moaned and writhed below the blonde.

Emma used her fingers to fuck Regina, quickening her pace. She could feel Regina's juices surrounding her fingers, making her own body ache with want. Her mouth clamped down on Regina's clit and sucked forcefully, her fingers continuously hit the Mayor's G-spot.

That was all it took before Regina surged up and cried out in pleasure. Emma took advantage of this and crashed her lips into the brunette's, her mouth now filled with glorious moans and cries of bliss. Regina rocked against Emma's hand, riding out each wave of her orgasm until it was all too much. She fell back against the sheets once more, her breathing heavy and her hair soaked with sweat. Emma lay back beside the stunning brunette, her whole body aching.

"Maybe we should take a break?" Emma breathily suggested, her eyes closing over.

There was no reply. She looked over to the body lying beside her and smiled as she took in the sight of a sleeping Regina. Emma took one last look before she too, drifted off into a deep slumber.

* * *

It was around 3am when Emma woke again, needing something to hydrate her after the evening's activities. She looked around the bedroom, her eyes landing on the door. She moved to sit up but was stopped by an arm draped across her chest. She looked over to the peaceful woman lying beside her, light snores and soft breaths escaped the brunette, which Emma found to be absolutely adorable.

Emma carefully lifted Regina's arm and placed it back on the pillow beside her. She shifted off the bed slowly and then tiptoed towards the door, taking the one of the robes from behind the door and wrapped it around herself.

The blonde opened the door, making sure not to let too much light in and then slid out of the gap before closing it behind her. "Mission accomplished, Em" she thought as she made her way down the hall and downstairs.

All of the downstairs lights were still on which she was very grateful for because the mansion was huge.

She found the kitchen eventually, not before getting lost in the downstairs bathroom three times. Emma plucked a glass from a cabinet and poured herself some water before she sat down on a stool by the kitchen island.

Emma thought about her night. She thought about Regina and how fast she had taken to her. She wanted to know everything about the brunette she had just spent the night with. Well, the last seven hours with. Regina was intriguing and very well put together, Emma was none of those things. It scared her when she thought about it because she had no idea why a woman like Regina, who was also the Mayor, would be interested in her.

She shook herself of her negative thoughts and downed the glass of water.

The blonde wandered around the downstairs, able to take in the art without a distraction this time. She stopped every so often to look over a painting, taken in by such detail. She found her way into Regina's study which was filled with bookcases and sculptures. Emma's eyes danced around the room, an awestruck look plastered on her face.

She picked up a book from one of the bookcases and sat down on the sofa beside Regina's desk, getting more comfortable.

* * *

Regina woke with the sound of cricket noises coming from her bedside table. She jumped up, panicking until she realised it was just her iPad. The brunette stretched out her arms before she reached over and grabbed the device, wincing as the light hit her eyes. She unlocked it and read one message as it popped up on her screen. Quickly, her eyes shot open wide and then darted to the side of the bed where Emma had been the last time she checked.

The brunette shot off of the bed, panic coursing through her body as she slipped on her silk robe before rushing out into the hallway and downstairs, skipping steps each time.

"Emma!" She called out, rushing into the living room. No sign of the blonde. Regina grabbed her cell phone from the table, looking down at the screen she realised she had seven missed calls and four automated messages.

This was bad.

In the kitchen, she noticed a glass sitting on the counter and immediately, her eyes darted over towards her office, the door was slightly ajar. Her body felt numb.

Regina tried to compose herself, preparing herself for what was about to happen. She walked over and took a deep breath before she pushed open the door.

Emma was stood by the fax machine, facing away from the brunette. She had a piece of paper in her hand, that much Regina could see.

"Emma" Regina half-whispered, afraid of what was going to come next.

The blonde looked up as soon as she heard the door open but didn't turn around. Not until Regina said her name. When she did finally turn, she took in the image of a panic-ridden brunette standing by the door. She lifted her arm, showing Regina the sheet of paper in her hands.

Regina felt like she could fall at any moment as her whole cool exterior was completely shattered. She walked forward, her eyes never leaving Emma's. The brunette plucked the piece of paper from the blonde and looked down at it, reading the message.

 **EVENT 24 HAS BEGUN.**

" **THE DARK ONES" LOCATIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS;**

 **PORTLAND**

 **WATERVILLE**

 **STORYBROOKE**

 **PROTECT EMMA SWAN AT ALL COSTS**

 **-VENUSTUS**

Regina gulped and looked up at the blonde.

Emma glared at the brunette before she swiftly pulled a gun, which she had taken from Regina's drawer, "You have five minutes to tell me who you really are and what this message means or I will shoot you"


	8. Venustus

**A/N**

Just to let you all know that this fic will be around 20 chapters long, depending on how long I wanna draw some things out.

Thanks again for your reviews and I'm glad some of you are scared!

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 8 "Venustus"

* * *

 _Emma glared at the brunette before she swiftly pulled a gun, which she had taken from Regina's drawer, "You have five minutes to tell me who you really are and what this message means or I will shoot you"_

The blonde's hand shook as she pointed the gun in Regina's direction. Regina felt her whole body still, unable to move.

In all her years of being a homicide detective, this was the first time anyone had pointed a gun at her. She had no idea how to react, especially as it was Emma holding the gun up, threatening to kill her. Regina slowly lifted her hands, surrendering to the blonde.

"I'm not someone you want to shoot, Emma" Regina pleaded, urging Emma to lower the gun. "I promise you, this was only for your safety."

"Just tell me who you are!" Emma practically screamed, her finger shaking against the trigger.

Regina winced the moment Emma raised her voice, becoming more afraid by the minute. She was trained for these kinds of situations. She knew how to handle this, how to talk people down from shooting her. But this was Emma, the woman she had just spent the night with.

"My name **IS** Regina Mills but" The brunette started as she took a step closer to the blonde, her hands began to shake furiously as did her voice, "I'm a homicide detective, I work within the Boston police department."

Emma's head tilted, taking in this new information. She kept the gun up, her arms becoming heavier as she kept her stance. "Keep going."

Regina took a deep breath and offered a nod of her head, "I was asked to come here to protect you from someone."

"Who?" Emma bit back.

"I'm not supposed to tell you—" The brunette faltered, "We were asked to make sure you never found out about any of this, for your own benefit."

"Who are "The Dark Ones" and why are they in Storybrooke?" Emma ignored Regina's previous statement, hoping to get answers from the brunette. "Don't say that you aren't gonna tell me because I will force you to."

"You won't shoot me, Emma" Regina replied, her voice shaky. She took another step closer to Emma, anxiously awaiting a response from the blonde. "Look at me, please" The brunette pleaded with Emma.

Emma caught Regina's gaze, seeing the distress in her eyes. After a moment of challenging stares, the blonde slowly lowered the gun. She set it aside on the desk and then looked back towards Regina before pulling the belt of her robe tighter. Regina eased at once.

"Tell me who I need to be protected from."

"If I tell you, I will be taken off of this case and I can't have that." Regina replied, with urgency

The blonde shook her head. "If you don't tell me the truth, I will walk out of that door and I will never speak to you ever again."

Both women kept their eyes locked on one another. Regina exhaled, feeling completely beaten. She slumped down onto the plush sofa by her feet. Emma's eyes followed the brunette's and she decided to take comfort on the chair behind Regina's desk.

"It started way back in 2012.."

* * *

The sun began to pour through the shades in Regina's office.

Emma made her way towards Regina, a cup of warm, black coffee in her hand. The brunette's eyes lit up upon seeing the dark liquid. "That is exactly what I need." The blonde smiled and took a seat next to the brunette.

Regina had spent the last three hours telling Emma everything she knew about the murders and why Emma was under protection. She told her about each murder, in detail and what she knew about the murderers. Emma had taken it all quite well, except for the part where Regina had to explain that her other friends back in London, had been killed.

That part shook Emma.

But she was quick to understand why Regina had hidden everything from her. Even though it had been her job to ensure the blonde never found out, Regina felt more at ease now that the blonde knew everything about the case.

"This is insane." The blonde stated, her eyes fixed on the steaming hot cup of coffee in Regina's hands. "It's like I'm in a movie or something."

"Trust me, this isn't a movie." Regina replied before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Mostly, I'm sorry that you had to pretend to be Mayor"

Both women laughed, Regina appreciated the humor. The fact that Emma had held a gun up to her only three hours ago, had somehow completely slipped her mind. Regina set her coffee cup down on the small table beside the sofa and shifted to fold her legs into a basket. She leaned closer to Emma, offering a shy smile. "You're taking this well."

"Yeah, right now I am." Emma joked before gesturing towards the sheet of paper that had caused all of this chaos, "I'm just shocked that this is happening to me, of all people."

"I can't imagine what you're thinking right now."

Emma's eyes darted up to the brunette. Regina was fiddling with her fingers nervously. The blonde set her own cup of coffee down and nudged the brunette. "How do we get them?"

"Them?"

"How do we find the people who are trying to find me?"

Regina smirked and shook her head, admiring Emma's bravery. "Emma, we have been tracking these people for over two years and still haven't found them. We have an inside source but even he can't tell us where these people are based."

"So, we'll go find them!" Emma snapped. The brunette winced, taken aback by the blonde's tone of voice. Emma took a deep breath and then exhaled, "Sorry, I think this is all just starting to sink in."

"It's okay." Regina replied. She stood up from the sofa and headed over towards her desk. "We have three profiles."

Emma followed the brunette, standing behind her as Regina logged onto her computer. The infamous message popped up once more, suddenly sparking Emma's memory.

"My father had a message like this on his laptop." The blonde gestured towards the message from Venustus on the computer screen.

Regina's brows furrowed in confusion, she looked over her shoulder. "That's not possible, only certain people have access to these messages and transmissions."

Emma eyes shut for a brief moment, trying to figure it out. She shook her head and offered a shrug of her shoulder, "Whatever, just show me these profiles"

None of the profiles had images. There was a fake name, a brief description and all tracking points that had been tracked and recorded. Regina showed Emma the first profile, to which Emma responded with a quick "Nope"

Regina brought up the second profile and read it aloud. "Male, early 30's, scruffy-looking, had been referred to as "The Captain" …" Regina continued, while Emma read over the profile on her own, she checked out the last tracked points.

"Wait!" Emma nudged Regina's shoulder, urging her to stop. "This says that this man was last tracked in London in 2013."

"Yes.."

"Regina! I know who this guy is!"

The brunette didn't seem phased, she shifted to turn fully towards Emma. "That's not possible, Emma" She reached out to take the blonde's hands, understanding that she was desperate for information. "We had a whole team of investigators and detectives looking at this and no one could come up with anything."

"Well none of those investigators or detectives were living next door to him!"

Regina leaned forward, her head tilted. "What?"

"This description, this guy sounds exactly like the creepy dude who lived next door to us." Emma gestured towards the profile on the screen and re-read it aloud before she nodded her head frantically. "That's him! I know who he is!"

"Emma, are you really sure about this?" Regina asked, "We have been looking for so long, there's every chance that this isn't the guy you're talking about."

"Regina." The blonde assured. "It's the guy."

The brunette chewed her lip nervously before she turned back toward the computer screen. "Okay, so how do we find this mystery man without a name?"

"Easy. I _have_ a name." Emma leaned over Regina and began typing a name into the police database.

Both women watched as the computer got to work, searching through thousands of profiles. Emma stood by the brunette whose eyes were fixed on the screen.

Suddenly, a profile popped up and Emma's breath hitched. "That's him."

Regina's eyes were wide with disbelief. She read over the description and nodded. "That's him." She bit down on her lip and zoomed into his profile picture. "We have you now, Killian Jones."

* * *

It was around noon before both women had dressed themselves and eventually made it outside after spending the whole morning playing detective, well Emma played detective. Emma had convinced Regina that she was fine, telling the brunette that she wasn't the least bit afraid and hiding out would only drive her crazy. She explained to Regina that since all of the murders had taken place in a secluded setting, as long as she wasn't alone, she'd be perfectly fine. Regina agreed with that part.

They strolled along Mifflin street, side by side. Their hands would touch every so often but neither woman had plucked up the courage to actually link them.

"My parents don't know about any of this, do they?" Emma asked, her eyes following the trail of bird feet prints in the snow on the ground.

"No, they don't." Regina replied, her eyes fixed on the path in front. Emma offered a shrug of her shoulders and carried on walking beside the brunette.

They reached the pier a half hour later. Emma inhaled the fresh breeze and instantly felt at ease. Regina didn't find the pier to be all that exciting, especially with the smell of fish and crabs coming from the harbour.

"You'll get used to the smells, I promise" Emma assured, a smile gracing her lips. She watched as Regina's face screwed up in disgust, the smell of tuna filling her nostrils.

"I'm sure I will."

Both women took a seat on the bench, looking out onto the water. Emma glanced over to the brunette beside her and sighed. "I can't believe I almost shot you this morning."

Regina's eyes narrowed in Emma's direction. "You wouldn't have."

"I was just so terrified."

The brunette nodded, understanding Emma's actions completely. She reached over and took Emma's hand into her own. "I meant what I said." Regina looked up at the blonde, her eyes searching Emma's. "I will protect you, at all costs."

Emma gave a simple nod and a smile before she shifted to rest her head against the brunette's shoulder.

* * *

The room was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the corner of the room. The place was eerily quiet. He had been searching for this exact room, this particular person. They were the only thing keeping him from taking what was rightfully his. He paced the room and headed over towards the light source. It was a laptop, a message lit up the screen.

 **PROTECT EMMA SWAN AT ALL COSTS.**

 **-VENUSTUS**

He scoffed as he read that name over, then spat on the keypad.

"That's not a very nice way to treat my equipment."

Came a voice from behind. He spun around on his heels and pulled a pocket knife from his jacket pocket. He brought a hand up to his eyes, rubbing and smudging eyeliner as he attempted to make out the form before him. "Who are you?"

"The one person you thought you'd never find." The voice replied, filled with confidence. "You were right, considering I found you first."

He lunged forward, his arm swung out to take out whoever stood in front of him. There was silence for a moment. He wanted to believe that he had defeated his enemy but it was never that easy.

A chuckle filled the room, causing him to jump back. He held the knife out, preparing for his battle. "I know who you are." He cried out, listening for any sound of movement. "You can hide behind your ridiculous name, But I know who you _really_ are." He began to back up towards the light, still glowing in the corner. "Why don't we discuss your daughter, Venustus?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows. "I'd rather kill you first, Killian."


	9. Unexpected

**A/N**

I'm glad some people worked out that Venustus is Latin for "Charming" even before the reveal!

Also thank you for reviewing the fic, it means a lot!

Short chapter, this one is important.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 9 "Unexpected"

* * *

Regina and Emma had spent their day exploring Storybrooke. Since Regina had only planned to be here for a short time, she hadn't really taken in any of the scenery besides the pier. She found that the more she looked and explored, the more she fell in love with the little town. But as soon as she allowed herself that, the thought of why she was here in the first place brought her straight back to reality.

"So what are the events exactly?" Emma asked.

Regina looked over to the blonde, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm talking about your messages, they always start with an event." Emma explained.

The brunette nodded once, finally understanding what Emma was talking about. She looked down at her feet and offered a shrug of her shoulders, "They're basically just codes that tell us when a new location is being tracked."

"Sounds pretty cool"

Regina smirked, "You're like a child"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you." Emma's brow rose, a wicked smile graced her lips. Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes, her cheeks burning red.

Time seemed to fly by as they spent the day together. They had covered the playground area, the castle, the pier, the library and the forest. Emma told stories of when she was a kid and how she used to run through the forest with a bow and arrow, pretending to shoot bad guys. She joked about how she had hoped that one day it would be of use to her.

Regina hung on every word, completely fascinated by every story. She too shared stories with Emma but they didn't sound nearly as fun. Both women traipsed through the forest, fingers brushed over greenery and brightly coloured plants and flowers.

"For you, my lady"

The brunette's eyes darted over to the blonde stood beside her, holding a bright red tulip in her hand.

"Emma..." Regina started, her eyes flickered from the flower up to the blonde. "This is beautiful."

Emma beamed, feeling very proud of herself for picking such a beautiful flower for such a beautiful woman. She took one step closer to the brunette, chewing her lip nervously, "I know you're here to protect me but you have to admit, there's something here, between us."

"A forest?"

Emma deadpanned. "Very funny, Regina"

The brunette chuckled to herself as she reached out to take Emma's hand. "What are you trying to say?"

"Will you go on a date with me?" Emma asked, hurriedly.

Regina swallowed, her brows drew together. "You want to take me out on a date?"

 _Not quite the reaction I was looking for_ , Emma thought. She shifted nervously and then nodded quickly, "Yeah, I do"

"Then, I guess my answer is yes." Regina replied.

Emma's frown was replaced with a triumphant smile and she squeezed Regina's hand before they both continued on along the trail, silence filling the cool, crisp air once more.

"Did you know that a red tulip symbolizes a declaration of love?" Regina stated, nonchalantly.

The blonde peered over at Regina, her face turning pinker by the second, "nope, didn't know that"

Regina glanced over to the blonde, seeing the slightly panicked expression on the woman's face made the whole thing even funnier. She burst out laughing and tugged her closer. "Come on, let's get out of this forest."

* * *

"So, Venustus, does your daughter know about your little hideout?" Killian asked, sneering as he attempted to distance himself.

"She doesn't need to know"

"I'm doing you a favor really." Killian started, "If I kill her, she won't really mind that you've been using her as bait, will she?"

"She's not bait, she never was"

"Using your daughter to find The Dark Ones so you can kill them off because of a dodgy deal you made, way back when…" He shook his head, smirking, "She obviously never meant anything to—"

 **Bang.**

* * *

Both women made their way down Mifflin Street, the sky was already darkening. Emma looked over to the brunette who was still holding the red tulip she had picked earlier. A smile graced her lips. She hadn't realised that Regina was now looking over at her too.

"I hate this part." Regina half-whispered.

Emma's eyes fell to the ground once more, "Me too"

Regina pushed open the gate to 108 and made her way towards the porch, Emma following behind. Regina stood in front of the front door and then turned to face the blonde. "I had a wonderful day, this morning was pretty intense but other than that…"

"Yeah, well I won't be doing that again." Emma assured.

"I'm glad."

A sad smile graced the blonde's lips, wishing the night didn't need to end but she really did need to get back to reality. Reality being, her parents. "So I will text you with details for our date."

"That's great." Regina beamed, feeling like a teenager all over again. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, trying to hide her smile. "Sorry, I don't usually get this excited for a date."

Emma's heart melted as she looked at the brunette. She stepped closer to Regina, her hand reached out to wrap around the brunette's waist. "I told you I'd grow on you"

"You did"

They shared a smile before Emma broke the distance and captured Regina's lips in a chaste kiss. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't overtly passionate. It was just right. Regina's hand moved to cup the blonde's cheek, her thumb brushed over fair skin.

It only lasted for a moment but that was all both women needed for now. Emma broke apart from Regina and her arms fell to her sides once more. "I should go" She chewed her lip, anxiously and took a step back. "At least I know you'll be protecting me"

"Always" Regina assured, her face serious.

Emma swallowed, hard. She offered a smile before she turned to walk away.

"By the way," Regina called out, "If you're planning on picking me the right flower for our date, you might want to find out what it means first." She half smiled, her eyes locking onto Emma's as the blonde turned over her shoulder.

"I don't know" Emma shrugged her shoulders and turned back to face the gate, "I think we all know what red roses symbolize, Regina"

Regina's body stilled against her door. Her eyes never left Emma as the blonde walked off down Mifflin street, until she was completely out of view. The brunette replayed Emma's words in her mind.

She finally shifted and opened the front door, slumping against it as soon as it was shut again. "Did she just—" Regina asked herself, her eyes fell to the floor as her mind spun.

A smile finally spread on her lips, her heart beat hard against her chest. "Did she just tell me… _she loves me_?" She shook her head at the thought.

Regina's eyes darted around the room, replaying Emma's comment over and over again. The smile turned into a laugh. She laughed all the way into the kitchen and that laugh was quick to die down as her eyes caught sight of a large pool of blood on her kitchen floor. She gulped.

The brunette grabbed a knife from the holder and followed the smaller drops of blood, leading in towards her office. The door was shut. Regina crept closer, there were no lights on in there. She took a deep breath as her hand wrapped around the doorknob.

The doorbell rang just as she was about to push the door open. She huffed in annoyance before she rushed into the kitchen and quickly began to throw paper towels onto the pool of blood.

Suddenly her phone began to buzz. She knew exactly who it would be.

 **DON'T KEEP ME WAITING, REGINA**

 **-VENUSTUS**

Regina's brows furrowed in confusion. She re-read the automated text and her eyes shot up to the door as the doorbell rang once more. She threw the extra paper towels down and rushed out to the foyer.

The doorbell rang once more.

"I'm coming!" She practically screeched. Regina skipped the steps and yanked the front door open.

"You have blood on your pants. I'm assuming you found him in your office? Killian?"

Regina froze, her eyes glued to the person before her.

"He found me, so I killed him."

Venustus. This was Venustus.

After all this time, all of the secrecy, the texts and instructions, secret missions, Venustus was stood before her. She took a step forwards, her hand reached over across her chest and she held it there, staring in disbelief. She finally found the words...

 _"Mary Margaret?"_


	10. Desperate Times

**A/N**

So sorry it has taken so long to update, Christmas is a-coming and it's top priority right now!

Also, after I have completed this fic I will be moving onto another based on a photoset I made and posted on tumblr, you can find it here: post/118058519196/au-emma-swan-is-a-thief-who-steals-cars-watches

One more thing, Mary Margaret was born in 1975 (instead of 1978 like Ginnifer's real age)

Enjoy guys!

* * *

Chapter 10 "Desperate Times"

* * *

Regina handed a mug of coffee to Mary Margaret. Both woman stood opposite each other in the kitchen. There hadn't been much talking since Regina was still in complete shock. _Emma's mother is Venustus,_ she thought, over and over again.

"I suppose you have some questions that need answering?" Mary Margaret piped up, a slight smirk on her lips. "Go on…"

"Your Emma's mother…" Regina started, earning a confused look from the other woman. She continued, "I mean, you've been in charge this whole time. You've been telling everyone how to protect Emma, when to protect Emma but…" She shook her head, completely confused, "I'm just confused"

Mary Margaret took a deep breath, knowing that all of this information would be a lot to take in. She gestured towards the living room, "We should probably sit down for-" She paused and pursed her lips, "Well, you should."

Regina nodded once and walked out of the room, Mary Margaret followed. They both took a seat, Regina sitting opposite of the woman once again. It wasn't that she didn't trust Mary Margaret, she was just still completely surprised.

"You still look like you're about to run away…"

The "Mayor" looked up. She thought for a moment before she finally spoke. "I thought you sang to birds."

"You what?" Mary Margaret asked, a look of utter confusion on her face.

"I thought you were sweet and caring, kind and utterly strange." Regina explained, "But now I find out that you are some sort of mega spy, I mean—"

"Okay, okay." The pixie-haired woman called out, shushing Regina. "Let me just tell you my side of all of this."

Regina nodded quickly.

* * *

 ** _September, 1993_**

 _Mary Margaret paced the small, shabby apartment. She took deep breaths, her hands began to sweat as she quickened her pace, practically running around in circles. Suddenly there was a kick and soon another._

" _God dammit, Em!" She yelled out while she rubbed her belly. "I know you wanna come out but you still have another month, baby" Mary Margaret walked towards the window, peering down into the streets of Seattle._

" _She kicking again?"_

 _Mary turned suddenly, hearing the familiar voice from behind. Her lips turned up into a smile and she rushed towards the door. David scooped his girlfriend up, hugging her as close as he could, what with the bump being in the way._

" _She has been kicking all night long. I tried to explain to her that she isn't supposed to be here for another month but she obviously isn't listening." Mary Margaret looked down at the baby bump, still feeling the jabs of tiny feet against her._

" _So…she's stubborn. I wonder where she gets that from?" David smirked and put his hand over Mary Margaret's on the bump. "Are you still going to that meeting tomorrow?"_

 _Mary faltered, not expecting it to be brought up. She quickly recovered and offered a shrug of her shoulders, "I'll probably only be in there for an hour. Then when we get back here, we should start packing."_

" _Yes, we should" He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm gonna miss Seattle but I'm sure I can get used to Maine just the same."_

" _That rhymed" Mary Margaret smiled. They both shared a laugh and swayed together as they looked out onto the streets._

* * *

 _The next morning came quicker than she expected. Mary Margaret left David to sleep as she got herself ready for her day._

 _After taking a quicker shower and getting herself dressed, she made herself a smoothie to go and prepared to head out. David was still asleep and Emma wasn't playing rugby in her belly which made it a lot easier to go about and get things done. She locked the door behind herself and headed downstairs._

 _She decided to take a cab to the building where she was attending her "meeting". Mary Margaret had stayed in Seattle her whole life but she had never heard of this building, which didn't ease her anxiety in the slightest. She plucked the card from her pocket, reading over the details._

 ** _R. Stiltskin 42 Abaddon Square_**

 ** _COME ALONE_**

 _She read the last part over and over, hating herself for actually following these instructions and ultimately putting herself in danger. Emma too._

 _But this was something she had to do._

 _When the cab stopped outside of a large, dark grey-ish building, Mary Margaret got out and quickly pressed the buzzer. She expected to wait for a couple minutes but a buzzing sounded and the sound of a door unlocking. She pushed open the door and looked around as she entered the building. It was run down and it stank of mold. She covered her nose as she walked towards the elevator._

" _That doesn't work, dear"_

 _She stopped in her tracks and then looked over her shoulder to find out who was talking to her. When she turned, she was met with an older looking gentleman. He had long-ish hair, a walking stick and a shiny gold tooth. That's all she really took in._

" _You're Mary Margaret, you're here to see me."_

 _She chewed her lip nervously and then nodded. "You must be Mr Stiltskin…"_

" _I must be" He smirked and it instantly sent shivers down her spine. She watched as he gestured towards the stairs. Mary Margaret followed him, her heart raced in her chest. Fear completely took over and she felt like she was about to pass out._

 _When they reached the second floor, he began to make his way down the hall until he stopped outside of a door which was number 42, she assumed. He opened the door and then stepped aside, gesturing for her to walk in first._

 _Mary Margaret entered the room and immediately, all of her anxiety was gone. There was a small child sitting on a chair by the window and a beautiful brunette stood beside him. Maybe this isn't so bad, she thought._

" _Please, take a seat." He gestured towards the seating area by the window, where the child sat. "This is my son, Neal and my wife Milah"_

 _The woman smiled, which made her feel a little more at ease and the child just stared at her. Which most children did. Mary Margaret took a deep breath and then scanned the room. It was an ordinary apartment, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Neal and Milah left the room and she was left alone with him once again._

" _I'm assuming you know what is going to happen here?" He asked, Mary Margaret nodded. "Good, then I won't waste too much time." He walked towards a table by the TV and picked up a piece of paper. "You'll sign this and our deal will be done."_

 _Mary Margaret's eyes fell to the sheet of paper as he placed it in her lap. She started to read it over, her heart began to thump hard against her chest. She placed the paper to the side and took a deep breath. "Could you go over this with m- I mean, explain it to me"_

" _I can" He nodded and sat beside his client, "You will sign these papers and be given a sum of money. A large sum, may I remind you. Then on her twenty-second birthday, we will take what is ours. You will be sent a check tomorrow morning."_

 _She nodded as he spoke, still not completely understanding. Or, not willing to try to understand. "What will you do to her?"_

 _He paused for a moment, observing the woman's tone of voice. "Miss Blanchard, even though you are eighteen years old, there are still some things in the world that you cannot understand. Now, I've explained what will happen. Are you going to sign or not?"_

 _Mary Margaret felt stiff. She felt cold and she felt miserable. She was about to sign her baby away like some sort of package or a gift to a friend. Hopefully everything works out for us, Emma, She thought. Mary took the pen from him and scribbled her signature on the dotted lines._

 _He smirked as she handed the piece of paper back to him. Rumple reached out his hand and placed it on the bump. "I'll be seeing you soon, little one"_

 _She smacked his hand away and stood up before she fled from the room. She hoped to never see his face ever again._

 ** _One week later_**

 _They had been in Storybrooke for almost five full days now. Everyone had been extremely welcoming to them both and Mary Margaret already had become close friends with Archie, the town's therapist and Granny, the owner of the diner. They had shown her the most kindness of all._

 _Granny had offered to cook them both dinner at the diner but David had insisted he should stay home and finish off the nursery. He practically forced Mary Margaret to leave._

 _He had painted the nursery yellow, thinking of how he had been convinced that Emma's favorite colour would be yellow. David added some sunflowers to the walls along with small bee stickers. When he had finally finished, he stepped back and allowed himself to finally see his artwork._

 _He almost cried._

 _David walked over to the crib and pulled the sheet off which had been protecting it from paint and then done the same with the small chest of drawers by the window. He took one last look around the room and smiled, almost squealing with delight. This was all for his daughter, who would be here in this room in no less than two weeks. He looked around each item of furniture, a smile still plastered on his lips. Until something caught his eye._

 _There was something black poking out from behind the chest of drawers. He sighed and reached out, attempting to grab it. But whatever it was, was slightly heavier than expected._

 _He yanked it out from behind the drawers and stumbled backwards just as the black bag felt to the ground. His eyes narrowed towards it, wondering why the heck it would be in Emma's nursery. David crouched down and grabbed the zip, unzipping the bag to find out what was inside._

 _His eyes widened as soon as the contents came into view. "What the...hell"_

 _When Mary Margaret eventually returned home that evening, she was expecting David to be in bed but all of the lights were on. She walked through the apartment, searching for her boyfriend. He was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, the nursery" She said, aloud before she headed up the steps._

 _He was sitting on the floor, holding the contents of the bag in his hands. Mary Margaret peeked into the nursery and smiled when she saw him sitting alone. "Are you getting emotional?"_

 _David's head shot up and he looked over his shoulder. He glared at his girlfriend, his eyes never leaving hers as he stood and turned to show her what he was holding in his hands. "Can you tell me why there is over fifty thousand dollars in this bag?"_

 _Mary Margaret's eyes went wide, she froze to the spot, still staring at David. He dropped the money to the floor and took one step closer. "Mary Margaret! What have you done?" He said through gritted teeth._

 _She couldn't control her breathing; her heart was hammering against her chest. Her lips quivered as she attempted to explain herself but stopped when she caught the look on David's face. He was staring at her lower half._

" _Did you just pee?" He asked, staring at her now soaked jeans._

 _She was about to say no before a sharp shooting pain tore through her body. She screamed and fell back against the wall. "She's coming! Emma's coming!"_

 **Present Day**

"Let me get this straight." Regina paused, attempting to go through the information once more before she continued, "You made a deal with some random, old dude and sold your baby for fifty thousand dollars?"

"One-hundred thousand dollars, actually"

Regina's eyes shot open, as did her mouth. She stood and walked over towards the drinks cabinet, pouring herself a glass of the strongest cider she owned. "You sold your daughter, Mary Margaret."

"I was eighteen and stupid. I was also extremely desperate." She explained before she gestured to an empty glass, "Pour me something strong."

"You sold your daughter!" Regina practically shrieked before her voice became muffled as she downed her drink. "I don't care how desperate for money you were, you're insane!"

"No, the idea of some cult taking my daughter away from me after twenty-two years, that's insane! I convinced myself that it was okay because they would never, ever remember the deal!"

Regina rolled her eyes and poured herself another drink. She stood by the cabinet, still trying to take everything in. This had been a very long, very strange night.

"Rumplestiltskin came to town four years ago to find me. He found out where I had disappeared to and I was all set to run away from him again but he told me he wasn't part of that cult anymore. But he told me that the deal was still valid and that there was no way for it to be undone. I paid him ten thousand dollars to disappear." Mary Margaret paused and took a breath before she stood and walked over to the cabinet. "When Emma turned twenty-one, I set up the undercover group to protect her. I gave myself an undercover name and we've been working to protect Emma for the last year."

"There were other girls..." Regina swallowed, "Did their mother's make the same deal?"

Mary Margaret nodded.

Regina grimaced, hating that she had been so wrong about everything. Especially the woman stood beside her. "You have to tell Emma"

"The same rules still apply; Emma can never find out." Mary Margaret stated before she poured herself a glass of cider and then returned to the sofa.

"Things are different now, she needs to know!" Regina pleaded, raising her voice, trying to get through to the woman sitting on her couch who was drinking cider like water. "I can't keep that from her."

Mary Margaret paused at the last part. She slowly looked up at Regina, her head tilted. "You like her, don't you" She watched as Regina's eyes fell to the floor, her fingers toyed with the edge of the cabinet. Mary's eyebrows shot up, "No, it's more than that"

"I care about her, a lot" Regina half-whispered.

Mary Margaret swallowed. "You love her." Regina looked up at Mary Margaret, her mouth opening slightly in attempt to dismiss the older woman's claims but she had no argument.

"I love her"


End file.
